Pakistan will host the emergency International Cricket Council meeting in Karachi on January 12 and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar M Khan hopes that the game's heads would be able to take a joint stand on the TV signal issue.
Talking to this correspondent on telephone from Lahore, the PCB chairman said the meeting, which earlier was schedule to take place in Dubai on January 11, has been rescheduled in Karachi due to the death of UAE ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid.
"As it is a very important issue for which the meeting is being held, we have accepted the challenge of hosting it at short notice," Khan said.
The Indian government is adamant to make amendments in its law to telecast all cricket matches live in Indian through the state broadcaster, Prasar Bharti. As India is a huge market, the ICC fears it will lose bulk of the revenue from the new law.
"The Indian government is about to pass a law that threatens to reduce not only the Board of Control for Cricket in India's revenue; it would have its affect on the overall ICC revenue generation," Khan said.
Khan said the meeting has a one-point agenda and that is to do something to combat the approaching threat.
"India has big viewership and, as such, it has its major contribution in total revenue generations to world cricket.
"By passing that law and awarding all the TV rights to the government-owned channel, the Indian government would deprive cable TV's of their rights. Ultimately the sufferer would be the ICC and other countries' cricketing boards. We have to take a joint stand on the matter," Khan added.
He said there is more than one way to tackle the issue.
"The Indian government could pass such a law for the series featuring their own country but cannot do that when the series is being played between two other countries. Depriving Indian viewers access to series being played between the countries not involving India would definitely affect the marketing of the game," he said.
Khan conceded that hosting the ICC meeting at a short notice is really demanding.
"Nearly 30 top officials from cricketing nations all over the world would turn up for the meeting. It was a demanding job to organise such a meeting on a short notice especially when it is being held day after Eidul Azza. However, the PCB administration, headed by Abbas Zaidi, accepted the challenge and is already on the job to host it in a befitting manner," he said.
Khan informed that Shabbir Ahmad is to appear before the ICC Appeals committee on January 19.
"There is no change in the dates of Shabbir's appeal hearing and that he along with Saleem Altaf are to appear before the committee in Dubai on the given dates."
Khan, who just returned from India and participated in the Asian Cricket Council meeting there, said Pakistan and Indian agreed in principle to schedule future tours of the national cricket team after every two years.
"Too much of cricket between India and Pakistan just taking out much of the interest. We want to make it a special event and as such have decided to make India-Pakistan cricket series a biannual feature," he said.
He said India is also against the hosting of the ICC Trophy. "But the PCB is not against it," he added.
