PCB to take a stand against Big 3 in ICC meeting

The International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting is underway in Dubai and among the major agendas up for discussion is the Big 3 formula. Making their stand clear against it Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shahryar Khan today (February 3) said that they will make sure it is quashed since there is no constitutional hindrance in doing that.

According to the Big 3 system, the three major boards Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board have maximum control over the functioning of the global body and take a larger chunk of the revenue generate. “We want the Big Three governance system and revenue distribution formula abolished and we see no constitutional problems for the ICC to do this,” Shahryar told the media in Pakistan before leaving for Dubai.

They had in the past agreed for it because BCCI had signed a MoU with the PCB and agreed to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. “That was our reason and condition for supporting the Big Three but when India has not fulfilled its obligations under the MoU, we see no reason to continue our previous policy,” Khan said.

BCCI will get the maximum about 21 per cent share of the total revenue of the ICC followed by CA and ECB. Shahryar pitched for an equal share in revenue for all the full members and said, “Under the current formula we will end up with just around 98 million dollars while India stands to get around 500 million. We don’t see this as a system based on equality.”

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Ideally, the Indian board would have opposed it but given the change in BCCI management and with a new four-member administrative panel looking after the governance of the board the resistance might well be the least and is the right time for a decision like that to be passed.

“The ICC meetings will give us a chance to sit down with the new office bearers of the Indian cricket board and see what they have in mind specifically in relation to bilateral series with us,” he said.

He also mentioned that the proposed 4-day Test matches do not appeal to him and PCB would want to stick with the conventional 5-day matches which depicts the true spirit of Test cricket. “Five day matches are the spirit of Test cricket and what happens if it rains in a four-day Test. I don’t think we need to try to change things with Test matches.” Shahryar said.