‘ICC funding is not a donation,’ ex-PCB chief slams Ramiz Raja

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Web Desk
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Former PCB chairman Khalid Mehmood. Photo: YouTube screengrab
Former PCB chairman Khalid Mehmood. Photo: YouTube screengrab
  • Former chairman says no one including India "has the guts to stop Pakistan cricket."
  • "ICC funding is not a donation, it is a business," highlights Khalid Mehmood.
  • "Ramiz should immediately apologise and refrain from using such words in future," he advises


LAHORE: No one, including India, has the guts to stop Pakistan cricket, said former chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Khalid Mehmood.

Speaking to a group of journalists, Mehmood said: "It [India] has been busy for years trying to isolate Pakistan but every attempt and conspiracy it has been hatching has failed." 

“We still won the World Twenty20 Championship in 2009, became number one in the ICC Test rankings, became number one in Twenty20 and also won the Champions Trophy in 2017," he highlighted.

The former chairman further stated that these achievements are an expression of the strength of Pakistan cricket, The News reported.

“Ramiz Raja's statements regarding International Cricket Council (ICC) funds and Indian investment are unnecessary," he said, adding that ICC funds are Pakistan's by right and that these funds are distributed among countries who are members of the international cricket association.

“Raja's statement is against national dignity,” he added.

Mehmood made it clear that the ICC funding is not a donation, "it is a business" and everyone, including Pakistan, benefits from it. 

"Ramiz should immediately apologise and refrain from using such words in future," he added.

“Ramiz Raja, on the one hand, is in favour of shutting down departmental cricket, and on the other hand, he is meeting businessmen for investment," he mentioned.

"Weren't the departments investing heavily in our cricket? Various departments used to spend crores of rupees annually on cricket. They are now expecting sponsorship from them. What can foreign coaches hired for the World Cup improve [in the national squad] in a few days?" he wondered. 

“Officials, as many as the players, are traveling with the team. Is this not waste of capital? Finding new investors after eliminating the role of departments is not a good strategy,” he maintained.