Pakistan's inability to play India in bilateral events has cost them in past decade, says Michael Atherton

Since the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 in Pakistan, the PCB has found it difficult to convince international teams to travel to the country. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) which started in 2019 helped the board to bring back international players from other countries to play competitive cricket in Pakistan. Earlier this month New Zealand and England had cancelled their white-ball tour against Pakistan citing security reasons.

Since 2013, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series. The arch-rivals played two T20Is and three ODIs during the Pakistan tour of India in 2012-13. India and Pakistan have been meeting in the ICC major events, but have failed to conduct a bilateral series since the last tour of Pakistan to India. Speaking on PCB’s financial losses in the past, Michael Atherton stated that Pakistan’s inability to play bilateral events against India is responsible for the board’s recent financial losses.

"Pakistan's inability to play India in bilateral events has cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in the past decade, or how being in exile in the UAE for nearly a decade cost significant amounts of financial and psychological capital," Atherton wrote in his column for The Times.

Further, Atherton pointed that Pakistan travelled all over the world and helped foereign boards despite the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"When England have pulled out of tours to South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and when Australia have played no Test matches away from home since the pandemic began, Pakistan have travelled all over the world (and, remember, there are no touring fees paid to the visitors these days). Pakistan have played the most number of matches away from home since Covid struck, by some distance," Atherton further wrote.