da bet7k： Bangladesh were fearing bankruptcy after New Delhi said cricketingties between Pakistan and India will only resume after thenormalization of political relations between the two neighbors
01-Sep-2001Bangladesh were fearing bankruptcy after New Delhi said cricketingties between Pakistan and India will only resume after thenormalization of political relations between the two neighbors.The director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Ashraf-ul-Haq,talking exclusively to Dawn, further said he would condemn India’swithdrawal from the Asian Test Championship during the Asian CricketCouncil (ACC) meeting at Lahore on Oct 20 and 21.”Bangladesh will go bankrupt if India continues to run away fromplaying Pakistan. Their decision to pull out from the competition hasbadly affected the budget of the BCB as the profits from thechampionship would have been invested on the development of the gamein Bangladesh,” he said.Ashraf believed that Pakistan and Sri Lanka might survive from thehuge financial setback.”We are the newest Test nation and need funds. We don’t have the moneyrequired to uplift the standard of the game. But if we don’t earnmoney, the sport will die. It would be a tragedy if a Test nation hasto face this fate,” Ashraf said.”The ACC can invest that money in Bangladesh but that would be immoraland unethical as that money is for countries like Singapore, Malaysia,Nepal and others.” he said.Ashraf said BCB had planned a tri-nation one-day series also involvingIndia and Pakistan in Dec and the eve of Pakistan’s two-Test tour toDhaka to cover up for the losses and generate some money throughsponsorships and television rights. But feared that that proposalmight not materialize under the present circumstances.Although India has confirmed to play in the competition but there is apossibility of it withdrawing once again and that too at last minute.Similarly, Pakistan’s position is also not clear.”I think Pakistan will be justified in not playing India in Bangladeshuntil India tours Pakistan. But Pakistan board has always been kindand helpful and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) understands what willhappen to us if money-generating continental events were not played,”he said, “I sincerely hope that Pakistan will show a big heart as theywere the ones who proposed us for Test status and supported all theway.”Ashraf said he would condemn India in the ACC meeting which followsthe eight-day ICC executive board’s meeting in October in Lahore. “Ican’t go there and say India did the right thing. Of course, I willcondemn India,” he said.However, he added the ACC was not in a position to penalize India.”How can the ACC penalize India at this stage? But it is a lesson foreveryone and hopefully there will be a clause to impose penalties on anation which defaults.”He suggested that the country defaulting should be fined 50% from theincome through title sponsorships and televisions rights. Just torecap, Pakistan will host the Asia Cup one-day tournament in Aug-Septin 2002. Besides the four Asian Test playing countries, two qualifierswill also participate.Ashraf disagreed that the game’s governing body could do anything toIndia. He said the Asian Test Championship had nothing to do with theICC as it was a continental tournament.