Pakistan cricket is currently going through a serious crisis. Pakistan’s performance as the host in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been very poor. After the defeat of the national team, it can also be difficult to find sponsors for the team for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
On 23 February, India defeated Pakistan by 6 wickets, causing the hosts to reach the verge of being out of the tournament. The very next day, New Zealand won both Pakistan and Bangladesh out of the tournament.
Crowds seen in Gaddafi Stadium, but fans of fans cold due to Pakistan’s defeat
Just a day before losing to India, the Pakistan Cricket Board officials were excited by the presence of a large number of spectators during the match between Australia and England at the Gaddafi Stadium.
An official of PCB said-
“It was encouraging to see people’s response and enjoying the match of other teams other than Pakistan. But now the real challenge is whether there will be a crowd of spectators in the stadium for the remaining matches of Pakistan? We are hosting such a big tournament after 29 years, and we have to make it successful. ”
Honoring after 29 years, but the team disappointed
This is the first ICC tournament after the 1996 ODI World Cup, hosting Pakistan. So it was expected that the domestic team would perform brilliantly. But after losing the first two matches of Pakistan, it became clear that the team would not be able to make it to the semi -finals.
Now New Zealand and India have entered the semi -finals from Group A, which ended Pakistan’s expectations completely.
PCB is not a big economic shock, but impact on brand value
According to an official of the PCB Commercial Department,
“Even if Pakistan does not reach the semi -finals, PCB will not suffer any major loss financially. We are sure to get a share of host fees, ticket sales and ICC revenue. ”
However, some major disadvantages may be:
- Half filled seats in the stadium can make the shine of the tournament fade.
- Broadcasters may find fewer audiences.
- Sponsorship and brand value may have negative effects.
“It will not be easy to sell Pakistan cricket in future”
The biggest concern is that even though there is a passion in the country about Pakistan cricket, difficulties may increase in the coming times with sponsors and branding.
PCB source said-
“Despite tremendous craze for cricket, it will be more difficult to sell Pakistan cricket as a brand.”
Will Pakistan cricket recover from this shock?
Pakistan cricket will now have to improve the team’s performance to save its brand value. It is not enough to host the big tournament only on the home ground, the team will also have to show good games so that the audience is interested and the sponsorship can be attracted.
Now it has to be seen how PCB deal with this challenge and what steps are taken to make Pakistan cricket firmly.
