Pakistan board alleges cartel formation

Thursday, July 2, 2009 -- The Pakistan Cricket Board has alleged that there have been attempts to seclude them in the new Future Tours Programme that was being planned by the ICC. However, the board also said that they had complained regarding the same to the ICC and the apex body was now looking into Pakistan’s issues regarding the same.

Salim Altaf, PCB’s COO said, “Yes, there were attempts to marginalise us. The ICC was due to approve the Future Tours Programme (FTP) by June 25 but has gone back to the table after our concerns. We hope our interests will be addressed, as the ICC has promised.”

The ICC had begun with its plan to go ahead with the FTP starting 2012, when the current one ends, and there had been some issues that Pakistan had with the same. Not too many countries seem comfortable with the idea of touring Pakistan because of the terror situation there, but many of the cricket boards had assured that they will play Pakistan in neutral territories.

However, the PCB officials have alleged that there was a cartelisation of the cricket boards which meant that India, Australia, South Africa and England have been more interested in playing each other and thus reducing the number of games against the non-glamorous nations like Pakistan.

It is also said that there were no bilateral cricket series planned between India and Pakistan because of the political atmosphere surrounding the two countries.