The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is liable to seek damages if the upcoming tour of India is called off due to a dispute over telecast rights, an official has hinted.
"At present, we view it as a purely internal matter of the Indian board but in case the tour does not come off because of the TV rights issue, then in such circumstances we can claim compensation from BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India)," The News on Wednesday quoted a PCB official as saying on condition of anonymity.
"We would very much like the tour to go on and are planning accordingly. But in extreme circumstances, the ICC (International Cricket Council) has a clear-cut formula to handle such issues," he added.
"If a tour is called off on non-security grounds then the board of the touring team has the option of claiming compensation from the host board through ICC," he explained.
"We are hopeful that the BCCI will get the chance to sell the broadcast rights for the series because it's in the interest of both boards that the matches are held on schedule," the official maintained.
{{/usCountry}}"We are hopeful that the BCCI will get the chance to sell the broadcast rights for the series because it's in the interest of both boards that the matches are held on schedule," the official maintained.
{{/usCountry}}Officially, however, the PCB has tried to play down the controversy.
"We've no concern with that (TV rights issue). Solving the problem is their internal matter and we are not coming into it," Saleem Altaf, the PCB's director of cricket operations told The News.
"The tour is very much on and the Pakistan team is to leave for India on February 28 It is for BCCI to take care of the TV row. We are going to India and that's all we can say now," he added.
BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra said on Tuesday that the tour might be called off if the broadcast rights issue was not resolved. The Madras High Court has barred BCCI from awarding the rights till it rules on a dispute between two broadcasters — ESPN-STAR Sports and Zee Telefilms Ltd over the grant of rights for telecasting matches for a four year period.
BCCI had last year granted the rights to Zee for $308 million but withdrew this after ESPN-STAR Sports challenged it in the Bombay High Court.
Zee then approached the Supreme Court, which February 2 dismissed its petition but said the channel could file a special leave petition against the Bombay High Court judgement before an appropriate bench.
Zee then approached the Madras High Court.