ECB offers to host Pakistan-Australia Test series

[chaminda_00]

Accepting this would the most sensible thing Pakistan could do really...I mean the money they stand to lose for having some kind of stance based on principles is just not worth it. Just hold the tour at a neutral venue and get it over with.

Would get more money from hosting a ODI tournment at home then this. 10 mil, might sound a fair bit, but it not that much in comparsion to other options they have.

 

[silentstriker]

Sanz, SS all foaming at the mouth AWS.

Nah, I said on the first page they should go ahead with the tour. Losing tens of millions of dollars just isn't worth it. I can't believe CA is allowed to get away with crap like this, but that's a separate discussion.

 

[chaminda_00]

Nah, I said on the first page they should go ahead with the tour. Losing tens of millions of dollars just isn't worth it. I can't believe CA is allowed to get away with crap like this, but that's a separate discussion.

I seriously doubt the money thing is a big issue for them. They are not going to go broke not playing Australia and it not like they can't make the money somewhere else. One would presume the ECB would want their main broadcasters to have the rights to the Tests. So in theory they probably lose money on not being able to sell the rights of broadcast themselves. It would only be a relative lose of money. If Australia do decide to play the series in a season or two time, they would probably gain more money then playing the matches in England.

 

[Nishant]

Definitely more Pakistani supporters in the Greater Manchester area. Not to mention the rest of Lancs.

loads in london as well.....so fair choice...

 

[Lillian Thomson]

..............and while they're here they might as well throw in a 5 Country Twenty/20 tournament with the Official Touring Countries.

 

[aussie]

If Akhtar, Asif & Gul aren't going to play don't bother with it IMO.

 

[Sanz]

Sanz, SS all foaming at the mouth AWS.

It's called difference of Opinion. Unfortunately for a bigot like you having a different opinion is akin to foaming.

 

[Neil Pickup]

http://www.dawn.com/2008/03/27/spt4.htm

LAHORE, March 26: The England and Wales Cricket Board has offered the PCB to play its recently postponed home series against Australia in England sometime in July.

Though the PCB has already ruled out the chances of holding the series at any neutral venue, board’s chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf informed the members of the Governing Board about the offer.

The members have asked the PCB chairman to wait till he received a written offer from the ECB which is expected anytime now.

It is learnt the ECB had verbally offered $10 million to PCB for each Test match.

According to the offer, two of the three Test matches will be played inside London and one in another city.

In accepting the offer from ECB, the PCB will have to take a u-turn on its early policies of refusing the proposal of Cricket Australia (CA) of holding the series at any neutral venue.

However, it will help the board to recover huge losses incurred due to the late withdrawal of Ricky Ponting’s men from the March-April tour over security reasons.
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Sounds ok to me.I think if we have a fit pace attack then i believe we could trouble Aus in english conditions.

$30 million? Are we seriously going to break even on that?

 

[Richard]

Yeah, I thought it sounded like a fair bit, but obviously we wouldn't be making promises like that if we didn't know for sure that we were going to recoup that money.














... would we?

 

[Richard]

I'd imagine it would be Birmingham or Leeds given the high population of Pakistanis in both cities. Can't see it happening though, English conditions would surely suit Australia more.

I actually think, and I said this in the other thread, that Pakistan's seamers would get more from a green wicket, if the groundsmen worked according to Pakistani orders, as they should be if said proposal were to go ahead, than Australia's would.

Shoaib, Asif and Umar Gul on green pitches is a mouth-watering prospect indeed.

 

[PY]

Must be some form of TV money involved there because they'd be seriously pushed to make the cash back. Unless they try get some ODIs in for free too.

 

[Fusion]

As much as I would love for the series to go on, I think the proposal should be turned down by the PCB. It will once again establish a dangerous precedent. Other teams will follow Australia's lead and refuse to tour Pakistan and insist on playing in "neutral" grounds. The PCB can not deprive its base of live cricket against quality opponents. They must take a stand, no matter how painful the loss in the near term. They should reject this proposal and ask CA to work with them to reschedule the tour at a later date in Pakistan.

 

[Jono]

I think Pakistan should see if Asif is fit for the tour.

If yes, then play, If no, then turn it down.

 

[Richard]

As much as I would love for the series to go on, I think the proposal should be turned down by the PCB. It will once again establish a dangerous precedent. Other teams will follow Australia's lead and refuse to tour Pakistan and insist on playing in "neutral" grounds. The PCB can not deprive its base of live cricket against quality opponents. They must take a stand, no matter how painful the loss in the near term. They should reject this proposal and ask CA to work with them to reschedule the tour at a later date in Pakistan.

Understandable sentiments.

 

[BoyBrumby]

$10m per test seems quite a lot to offer. Even if the grounds sell out for the first 4 days it's touch-and-go breaking even on gate receipts, although the prices they charge in London are fugging criminal nowadays.

Ironically tho I do think they'd be more paying punters up here than there would be in Pakistan, what with the large ex-pat communities of both nations we have in the UK.

 

[Prince EWS]

As much as I would love for the series to go on, I think the proposal should be turned down by the PCB. It will once again establish a dangerous precedent. Other teams will follow Australia's lead and refuse to tour Pakistan and insist on playing in "neutral" grounds. The PCB can not deprive its base of live cricket against quality opponents. They must take a stand, no matter how painful the loss in the near term. They should reject this proposal and ask CA to work with them to reschedule the tour at a later date in Pakistan.

Yeah, AWTA.

I actually hope the series goes ahead in England for selfish reasons, but I don't think it actually should.

 

[Xuhaib]

As much as I would love for the series to go on, I think the proposal should be turned down by the PCB. It will once again establish a dangerous precedent. Other teams will follow Australia's lead and refuse to tour Pakistan and insist on playing in "neutral" grounds. The PCB can not deprive its base of live cricket against quality opponents. They must take a stand, no matter how painful the loss in the near term. They should reject this proposal and ask CA to work with them to reschedule the tour at a later date in Pakistan.

I know where are you coming from but I think its important that we get to play some good competitive test cricket. This year with this recent cancellation of the series Pakistan is scheduled to play only 3 tests which I feel is crimnally low for a good/decent international team.

 

[TT Boy]

Not sure about the validly of the article/story in question. Pakistani press were reporting only a few days ago that CSA had tentatively agreed to play test cricket in Pakistan in the latter half of 2008 whilst, today CSA announced that no such proposals have been made and if they were they would say no.

Be great if it did happen though, would definitely try and get to the London games. Pakistan would probably have a better chance in England than back home as well.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

I can't see why the ECB would do this: they won't stand to make massive financial gain; they can't be doing the PCB a 'favour' given what Pakistan did last time they were here; they'd be removing the spotlight from our own Tests; young Asians would have more incentive to support Pakistan ahead of England.

 

[Xuhaib]

Not sure about the validly of the article/story in question. Pakistani press were reporting only a few days ago that CSA had tentatively agreed to play test cricket in Pakistan in the latter half of 2008 whilst, today CSA announced that no such proposals have been made and if they were they would say no.

Be great if it did happen though, would definitely try and get to the London games. Pakistan would probably have a better chance in England than back home as well.

Dawn is probably the most reliable news outlet in Pakistan.