--- Consider reading the article ‘If Indian Prime Minister wants, he can make Pakistan cricket collapse’: PCB chairman Ramiz Raja laments on Pakistan’s poverty on OpIndia website ---

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja on Wednesday during Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee meeting said that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can easily cause Pakistan Cricket Board’s collapse.

Raja revealed that PCB receives 50 per cent of its funding from the ICC while ICC itself raises 90 per cent of its money from the Indian markets. “In a way, India’s business houses are running Pakistan’s cricket board,” said Raja. 

WATCH: @TheRealPCB Chairman @iramizraja says Pakistan Cricket Board would collapse if Indian government wants, pointing to sizeable revenue @ICC gets from Indian markets. pic.twitter.com/dirEXhiLAB

— Asianet Newsable (@AsianetNewsEN) October 8, 2021

“Tomorrow if the Indian Prime Minister decides to not fund, the PCB can collapse,” Raja remarked further. 

Referring to the recent pullout by the International Men’s cricket team of New Zealand and England, Raja said, “They packed in 2 minutes and left. It is because they are not interested in Pakistan because our economy is not at par.”

When asked how much does Pakistan contributes to ICC, Raja informed that the country does not contribute at all to the Council. 

Raja encourages Karachi’s business community

While speaking to Karachi’s business community at the Pakistan Stock Exchange early this week, Raja said that its contribution is key towards Pakistan becoming a superpower in the cricket world.

“Our cricket is relying on ICC’s funding right now and when I see the books, I get very scared because the contribution of local entrepreneurs is minimal,” said the PCB chief.

Pakistan pressures New Zealand to reschedule tour

Pakistan has been pressurizing New Zealand to reschedule its tour after the New Zealand team opted out of a cricket tour citing a ‘security threat’. 

Raja in the same briefing said that there “will be good news in a weeks’ time.” 

“I have written a strongly-worded letter to the International Cricket Council chairman where I mentioned that the ICC has become a political wing of the Western bloc and has been reduced to a mere events management company,” he said as quoted by Pakistani news outlet Dawn.

Raja re-iterated that Pakistan has ‘one of the best security systems in place.’