Amid the controversy over Pakistan’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, an old video of Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, has resurfaced on social media.
In the video, Ramiz can be seen underlining the PCB’s dependence on the revenue generated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He also shed light on the implications for Pakistan in the event of deteriorating cricket relations with the BCCI.
“I can understand that, and the most frightening thing that I will share with you all – and I have said this to the cricket board as well-is that the Pakistan Cricket Board runs on 50 percent funding coming from the ICC. The ICC generates funding by conducting tournaments and distributes the earnings to its member boards. And of the ICC funding, almost 90 percent comes from Indian markets. So, in one way, Indian business houses are running Pakistan cricket. And tomorrow, if the Indian Prime Minister decides not to fund Pakistan, our cricket board can collapse too,” he was heard saying in the video.
Pakistan decided to boycott the match in Colombo on February 15 on instructions from their government but hasn’t yet officially specified the reasons to the ICC. However, if the PCB decides to stand firm on its stance come February 15, they would be defying a previous agreement to play at neutral venues.
According to a report, there is a possibility that the ICC will withhold the entire annual revenue share of Pakistan, which is around USD 35 million, and pay the broadcasters from that purse.
A PCB source informed that although chairman Mohsin Naqvi had taken advice from the board’s legal experts before briefing PM Shehbaz Sharif on the issue last week, the board is bracing for some serious consequences.