The cricket boards of Sri Lanka and Pakistan are at odds over who is responsible for the extra $3–4 million in costs that resulted from the Asia Cup being moved to the island nation last year. Geopolitical difficulties prevented the BCCI from sending its squad to Pakistan, the initial host. Instead, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) opted for a hybrid model, with Sri Lanka serving as the primary host for most of the matches.
This led to additional costs for travel, hotel reservations, venue hire fees, and chartered flights, among other things. During the ACC council meeting in Bali last week, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) made it clear that it was unwilling to bear the financial burden because it did not receive more revenue and was not the tournament's official host.
The first match was moved from Lahore to Multan by Zaka Ashraf, the former head of the PCB, which is another reason why the expenses reportedly skyrocketed. The decision to split the event and revoke Pakistan's hosting rights was made by the Asian Cricket Body, and the PCB is arguing that the ACC should bear the additional costs.
ACC chairman Jay Shah made it clear at the Bali meeting that the PCB was the one who insisted on hosting four matches even though the ACC board had chosen to shift the entire tournament to Sri Lanka.
"When the financial dispute was discussed by the acting chairman of the PCB, Khawar Shah, and CEO Salman Naseer (in Bali), Jay Shah and the SLC were on the same page,"
~the source said
He claimed that Shah told the officials that SLC's debts should be paid by PCB because Sri Lanka's facilities and venue were utilized, but Pakistan was still the event's host country. The source further stated that Shami Silva, the president of SLC, raised worry to the ACC regarding PCB's failure to pay the bills for the hotel stay and the chartered planes. Silva was encouraged by Shah to speak with the PCB directly.
Silva has received assurances from Naseer, though, that some expenses related to venue rental and hotel stays were "in the process of verification and would be cleared soon" by the PCB.
The PCB insists that Classic Travel, a "non-prequalified" Sri Lankan company, booked the tickets, therefore the matter of expenses on the chartered trip is still open.
Presently, it appears that the PCB has agreed to pay SLC $2,069,885 for the venues and has already paid an upfront sum of $281,700. However, the PCB is now demanding that the ACC, as the parent organization, should bear the cost of the bill of $2.5 million in hosting fees and help in some of the additional expenses.
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