The cash-strapped Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is eyeing to earn around $4 million from the upcoming one-day series against Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai starting April 22.
The cash-strapped Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is eyeing to earn around $4 million from the upcoming one-day series against Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai starting April 22.
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Despite facing problems in getting sponsors for the five ODIs and one-off Twenty20 match, sources in the PCB confirmed that finally the board had signed sponsorship deals for the series.
"The board has sold title sponsorship rights to a builder in Dubai for $4,40,000 while co-sponsorship rights have been sold for $2,25,000 to a bank and $1,60,000 to a cellular company," a PCB source said.
"The board should earn $5 million from the television and sponsorship rights of the series out of which one million would be spent on all expenses incurred on hosting the series at these neutral venues," the source explained.
He said the PCB expects to put $4 million in its kitty from the series, which is around Rs 32 crores in Pakistani rupees.
The PCB is spending a lot on making security arrangements for the series including hiring private bodyguards and on hiring the match venues - Abu Dhabi and Dubai," the source said.
He said the Emirates cricket board, which is organising the series for Pakistan, will retain all gate money receipts besides ground rents.
Meanwhile, a board official said that given the global economic slumpdown and the fragile business conditions in Dubai, the PCB had managed to secure respectable sponsorship deals for the series.
"I think $,825,000 from sponsorship rights is not bad when you consider the amount of signage space we have to sell under the ground sponsorship title," the official said.
He said details of the sponsorship deals would be announced later this week.