Pakistan cricket suffered a massive financial disaster by hosting Champions Trophy. The country spent nearly ₹869 crore to host just one home match against New Zealand at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had initially planned to host multiple games, but rain and scheduling changes resulted in most matches being abandoned or relocated. All and all out of ten scheduled matches, only one took place on Pakistani soil.
According to a report by The Telegraph, The PCB spent PKR 18 billion (₹4,823 crore) solely on stadium renovations, exceeding the budget by 50%. Additionally, another $40 million (₹3,320 crore) went into event preparations. However, the revenue earned in return was only ₹498 crore from hosting fees and some ticket sales, due to which the country suffered a massive loss of ₹7,445 crore by hosting the ICC event.
Domestic players pay price for financial disaster
The report state that domestic players had to pay the price of massive financial loss. Reports suggest that match fees for domestic T20 players were slashed by 90%, and payments for reserve players were cut by 87.5%. Young cricketers, who were once accommodated in luxury hotels, are now forced to stay in budget lodgings.
Embarrassment on and off the Field
Pakistan’s performance in the tournament was disappointing, and the situation was made worse by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s absence from the podium during the final. Former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram criticized this, emphasizing how such moments matter in international cricket.
Adding to the chaos, a public feud erupted between Pakistan’s coaching staff. Former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie clashed with Aaqib Javed, who criticized the PCB for constantly changing coaching personnel. Javed pointed out that Pakistan had changed 16 coaches and 26 selectors in just two years, leading to instability. Gillespie retaliated by calling Javed a “clown”, accusing him of trying to undermine his position.
