The resumption of international cricket in Pakistan could be the result of a deal between the PCB and its Bangladesh counterpart over choosing the next ICC vice-president, Cricinfo reported on Wednesday.
The nomination rests with the two countries and Pakistan are reportedly ready to concede its right for an expected tour by Bangladesh in 2012.
The deal, however, is being explained in official circles as the conclusion of a gentleman’s agreement that resulted in Pakistan’s Ehsan Mani becoming the ICC president in 2003.
The ICC executive board, at its meeting in October, had asked the PCB and BCB to nominate a candidate for the vice-presidency for the 2012-14 term, in keeping with the rotational system. The nomination has to be firmed up by December 31, the ICC will discuss it in January and the appointment will be effective in June. The two board chiefs, Zaka Ashraf of the PCB and the BCB’s Mustafa Kamal, have already held one – reportedly inconclusive – meeting in Dubai. They are due to meet again in Dhaka on the sidelines of Pakistan’s tour in December.
For Pakistan, the benefits are clear: they are keen for international cricket to return to the country and Ashraf, barely a month into his job, has set that as his primary target – even at the cost of what will lead to the top job in international cricket. To that end, he has repaired relations with Bangladesh to an extent, from the frosty ties under his predecessor Ijaz Butt. The ties were strained after cancelled junior cricket tours to Pakistan and by Bangladesh not supporting Pakistan over the staging of matches during the 2011 World Cup.
On the face of it the deal is a formality. When, in 2003, the two boards agreed on Mani’s candidature for the president’s post, it was on the understanding that the next cycle would go Bangladesh’s way. Even the mooted tour is not expected to be a problem; Bangladesh don’t have any problems with travel to Pakistan – the national football team went there earlier this year for a World Cup qualifier – and the series is part of the ICC future tours programme, scheduled for April 2012.
Pakistan, however, has reportedly sought written assurance from Bangladesh that it will not backtrack from the understanding.
