The recently concluded Champions Trophy turned out to be a billion-rupee bonfire for Pakistan but nothing beats the massive financial and logistical fiasco, including spending about $100 million dollars for playing their single home match against New Zealand at Lahore’s Gadaffi stadium.
The Pakistan Cricket Board splurged PKR 18 billion (about $58 million) on stadium upgrades alone – 50 per cent over budget. And add another $40 million for event preparations.
And what did they get in return? $6 million hosting fee and some change from ticket sales and sponsorships.
Pakistan cricket suffered a loss of over $85 million.
Then the Pakistani team played ONE match on home soil. ONE! Their Rawalpindi fixture was washed out, and another was shifted to Dubai. So, Pakistan spent $100 million (INR 869 crore) for a single home match.
And of the ten matches scheduled in Pakistan, five either didn't happen or were abandoned.
Now, who paid the price for this financial misadventure? Not the administrators drawing salaries in millions, but the players, according to reports.
Match fees for the national T20 championship slashed by 90 per cent. Reserve player payments cut by 87.5 per cent.
The quantum of the match fees cut was later revised but the decision was not withdrawn.
According to a report in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, “The PCB had recently reduced match fees from Rs 40,000 to Rs 10,000 without any official announcement…however PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi intervened, rejecting the decision and directing the board’s domestic cricket department to reassess the matter.
While the PCB has yet to officially disclose the revised amount, sources indicate it has been set at Rs 30,000 per match — Rs 10,000 less than last year.”
Young cricketers once housed in five-star hotels now find themselves in budget accommodations, while board officials continue their luxurious existence uninterrupted.
The PCB's prized mentors – Misbah ul Haq, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Saqlain Mushtaq – reportedly pocket PKR 5 million (Rs 50 lakh) per month.
The tournament also ended with Pakistan's ego bruised on the international stage.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was not present on the podium during the finals.
And it led to Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram pointing out how these absences matter in the corridors of international cricket.
And then there was the coaching quarrel. The verbal spat between Jason Gillespie and Aaqib Javed laid bare the dysfunction that plagues Pakistan cricket's management structure.
Javed pointed out: "Pakistan have changed 16 coaches and 26 selectors in two years. Any team would struggle under such circumstances."
Gillespie responded by labelling Javed a "clown”. The former Australian pacer also accused Javed of "undermining" both him and Gary Kirsten to position himself for the coveted role of all-format coach.
Mickey Arthur – a man who has experienced the PCB's revolving door firsthand – hit the nail on the head with surgical precision: Pakistan cricket is its own worst enemy.
The Champions Trophy hosting decision will go down as one of the most financially ruinous moves in cricketing history, where the country spends $100 million to lose $85 million.