Any disruption to the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia later this year would have serious financial implications for most of the cricketing nations.
This is according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Eshan Mani, who said the financial fallout would be very bad.
The COVID-19 pandemic has halted professional cricket, like other sporting events, across countries, clouding the outlook for the format’s flagship tournament that is scheduled to begin in the city of Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, on Oct. 18.
Mani said many boards including the PCB would feel the pinch if these boards are unable to receive the usual distributions from the International Cricket Council.
The ICC, which distributes profit from its tournaments among member countries, is working on contingency plans but expects the World Cup to go on as scheduled.
West Indies is among several other cricketing nations which are expected to participate in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Mani, who chairs ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs committee, said the PCB was preparing for the worst.
The PCB will also be signing a new TV rights deal this year.
The absence of bilateral series against India, because of soured political relations between the two neighbors, would hurt but Mani said there was not much PCB could do about it.
