Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board's concerted efforts to get bilateral series with India finally seem to be paying off with the BCCI promising to confirm its agreement over tours within a week's time.
A PCB official, giving details of the discussions the PCB Chairman Najam Sethi held with other officials including the Indians in the two-day ICC executive board meeting in Dubai, said the Indian Board had agreed to some bilateral series over the next eight-year cycle. But the BCCI has had asked for a week's time to confer with their members and government before getting back to Pakistan.
"Basically they have said they will ratify their bilateral agreements with Pakistan in a week's time," the official stated. He said the two boards had also informed the ICC about their planned bilateral series in the next eight-year cycle. "The two boards are planning to have a one-day series before the World Cup in 2015 but a full series will only be possible in December that year," he said.
The official explained that Pakistan had signed agreements with the other boards for planned bilateral series. "We are now expecting an income of around USD 300 million from all these bilateral series and we expect these revenue estimates to increase the many times we play India in the eight year cycle," he said.
"All in all this week's ICC meeting has proven to be beneficial for Pakistan cricket as we are expecting a sharp increase in bilateral series as well as in our revenue earnings specially when we sell our broadcasting rights for these series on long term basis later this year," the official stated.
