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Pakistan will be sending its accounts manager to Abu Dhabi to not only settle the accounts for the two One-day International (ODI) matches its national team played against India there earlier this month but also to represent the cricket board at the final of the Eurasia Cup on May 5.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and director cricket operations have been invited for the final but since both of them would be busy on that day with the Ad-hoc Committee meeting of the Board, it has been decided to send the Chief Accounts Manager, Mushtaq Ahmed,” a PCB source said.

He said Mushtaq would also be meeting the Indian board and the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council (ADCC) officials to finalise the expenditure and income details of the two ODIs against India, played on April 18 and 19.

“Normally expenses on a series are audited and finalised within days of the completion of the matches. But in the case of the two games in Abu Dhabi already the matter has apparently been delayed,” he pointed out.

Although Pakistan’s ambassador in Abu Dhabi has received a cheque of $7.5 million from the ADCC for the President Relief Fund for the earthquake victims, but the PCB is still waiting for its share of the income from the two-match series.

The source pointed out that under the regulations of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), all cash payments during a series or tournament had to be made with the signed approval of the ACU officer at the venue(s) concerned.

“One is not sure if the cash payments in Abu Dhabi during these two games were also made in accordance with the ACU guidelines,” he said.

Interestingly, every Pakistan and Indian player received 1.5 million rupees each as appearance fee for the second match of the series from the organisers, a sum which is high by any standards.

“This could be because for the first game they were paid the standard fee of 200,000 rupees each and were asked to donate this sum for the earthquake victims which they did. But giving them 1.5 million for the second game itself indicates the players were compensated handsomely,” the source disclosed.

The PCB official Saleem Altaf, when contacted, said Pakistan would get its share from the two matches after the expenditures were audited.

But he insisted the 7.5 million dollars raised for Pakistan earthquake victims and 2.5 million dollars for the Indian victims were given from the earnings of the two boards from the matches.

“This amount has come from the earnings of both boards and not from any other source. The remaining amount now has to be distributed equally after the deduction of expenses,” Altaf said and added that even the appearance fees would be deducted from the earnings.

The earnings of the two matches included the sale of TV rights for approximately 16 million dollars, 3.16 million dollars from sale of marketing rights and the total gate money.

But in lieu of taking gate money rights the two boards have paid the ADCC one million dollars as the hosting expenses.

“We still have to find out what is the total sum we earned from the two games and what are the total expenses Mushtaq is going there to finalise the accounts,” he said.

But asked if there was a budget prepared for both matches, Altaf said he was not aware of the exact figure.

A question mark also remains on how much production cost would be paid from the total earnings of the matches by both boards.

The interesting thing is that for televising live the EurAsia Cup games from Abu Dhabi for a 13-day period, a Dubai-based sports channel is said to be paying production costs of close to 450,000 dollars.

Source: The News/,/a>

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