PCB unlikely to make profit from Pak-NZ Test

Karachi:

The Pakistan Cricket Board is unlikely to make any profits from its ongoing "home" Test series in New Zealand as the marketing wizards have failed to find a title sponsor for the three-match.

According to details, the three match series that got underway on Tuesday in Dunedin is being played without a title sponsor dampening hopes of Pakistan making any profits from the series.

"The PCB has to pay around $500,000 to cricket New Zealand to cover expenses for the organization of the series while its only source of income now is a share of the gate money receipts and sale of the hoardings and banners in the stadiums," one well informed source said.

He said that despite stringent efforts the PCB marketing department had failed to find a title sponsor for the series because of the odd timings of the match.

"The PCB marketing head is stationed in New Zealand for the purpose of finding sponsors and generating revenues from the series but so far nothing has taken place," another source said.

He said Pakistani companies had not expressed interest in the series because it was being played during hours when people in Pakistan were asleep.

"Sponsors are not interested in investing in a series where matches started around 4:00 in the morning and end by 11:30 in the afternoon, Pakistan time," one source said.

But he pointed out that the PCB marketing people had even failed to find title sponsors in New Zealand since the series rights were with the Dubai based, Ten sports which is broadcasting the matches while normally Sky sports has television rights in New Zealand.

Pakistan was forced to play the series in New Zealand after the Black Caps refused to tour Pakistan this year because of the security conditions in the country. New Zealand played the one-day matches of the series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this month and agreed to host the three tests for Pakistan.

The PCB has still not given out details of the sponsorship deals for the one-day series in the emirates and whether it had made any profits from the series.

A senior PCB official said at the moment the priority of the board was to ensure all the home series were played even at neutral venues because it was necessary to keep Pakistan cricket alive by keeping the national team busy in international commitments.

The source said unlike Abu Dhabi and Dubai where Pakistani curators were assigned the job of preparing the pitches the surfaces for the Tests in New Zealand have been prepared by local curators dashing any hopes of Pakistan getting any "home" advantage in the series.