Kaneria’s appearance at cricket event violates ban

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board is likely to face some questions from the ICC after one of its senior officials was spotted at a private match in Houston, USA where banned Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria also played.

A friendship series of T20 matches in Houston was held from April 11 to 13 in which several Pakistan Test players took part.

The surprise was the appearance of Kaneria in the matches and the presence of Badar Rafai, the Marketing Director of the PCB, at these matches.

Kaneria, who has appealed in the London High Court against the life ban imposed on him by the England and Wales Cricket Board for alleged spot-fixing, was invited for the match although he is not allowed to take part in any cricket activity under the terms of his life ban.

‘Pakistan’s contribution to cricket can’t be ignored’

Pakistan is not the part of ICC’s revamped structure but its contribution in the game at the international level is enormous, according to Arif Abbasi, the former PCB chief executive.

“I am not sure whether there was any real offer [for Pakistan] to join hands with India, Australia and England and to make it a ‘Big Four’, but the fact is our country’s contribution to cricket can’t be ignored,” he said over telephone from Karachi.

“Don’t forget it was Pakistan which won the 1987 World Cup bid and not the Indian cricket board. Only at the insistence of NKP Salve, the BCCI chief then, India could become the co-host”, he informs.

India-Pakistan Test series to be held in 2015

Pakistan's conditional support for the ICC revamp hinges on the promise of six series against India, including a 'home' series in the Middle East as part of an upcoming, reworked eight-year FTP cycle from 2015 to 2023.

The change in the PCB's stance has taken place on the condition that Pakistan would be involved in bilateral series against all Full Members, including India. If Indo-Pak series are officially slotted into the eight-year FTP, it could also involve a 'home' series for Pakistan against India in the United Arab Emirates.

The PCB is now waiting for a final confirmation from the BCCI following its Working Committee meeting, which the PCB have been informed, is expected to take place in the next 15 days. It will then enable the PCB to work out a long-term broadcasting deal with regular India series at its centre.

The PCB's opposition to the ICC's original position paper that recommended a remodeling of the ICC's administrative structure and its revenue distribution rested on the argument that it was against the principle of "equality." However, following certain changes in the resolutions, as well as the possibility of playing India frequently led PCB to support the governance, finance and FTP changes in the ICC, which was driven entirely by the BCCI, ECB and Cricket Australia.

ESPNcricinfo understands that all the nine member boards have confirmed their earlier commitments with PCB until 2020 and are chalking out a fresh plan for the period from 2020 to 2023.

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