Once again, Pakistan cricket finds itself in troubled waters; making the task of attracting sponsors for the men’s national team difficult could become an uphill task for the authorities following the disastrous outing in the Champions Trophy. It was traditional rivals India that brought Pakistan to its knee, whipping them for six wickets in a match in Dubai on Sunday, leaving the tournament hosts a step away from elimination. Just a day before India delivered a knockout blow to the team, PCB officials had been oozing with confidence after a brilliant turnout at the Gaddafi Stadium for the Australia-England match. “It Is uplifting to see people supported and enjoyed a match not involving Pakistan,” a board official said.
“But now it’s a tough job to ensure the crowd keeps on coming for the remaining matches in Pakistan, considering we are hosting a big event after 29 years,” admitted the source.
The eight-team Champions Trophy is the first ICC event in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup and there were expectations of an impressive run from the hosts.
With New Zealand’s win on Monday, both Bangladesh and Pakistan are out of the tournament.
A source close to the board’s commercial section said that, financially, PCB would not be badly off even if Pakistan fails to make the semifinals-the gate receipts and other avenues of ground income would be the only ones hit.
But the beleaguered team’s brand image is certain to take a hefty beating.
We get a promise of hosting fees, our share of ICC revenues including ticket sales, but then there are other elements-e.g. loss of interest among people in the mega event or half-filled stadiums on the broadcaster’s end. And the major concern is, “Without disparaging the interest in cricket here, it won’t be easy to pitch Pakistan cricket as a brand anymore.”
The source mentioned that his concern seemed to be only stadium upgradation in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, forgetting that the important thing is to have such a team that reaches the final in the Champions Trophy since any connected audience appreciates performance.
The PCB has left no stone unturned to make this Champions Trophy successful, despite the team’s poor outing, providing best possible hospitality and security arrangements and facilities for the touring teams and officials-‘all too appreciated.’
The upgrade on the stadiums, worth about 1.8 billion rupees, will also benefit Pakistan cricket but marketing advertising professional Tahir Reza said one of the biggest challenges is to keep fans in touch with the team.
“It’s easy to say that cricket sells itself in Pakistan, but that’s not the case because the interest and attachment of fans, sponsors, advertisers, broadcasters are all linked to performances as well,” Tahir said.
He pointed out that already the overall budget in Pakistan for sponsorships, advertisements, and endorsements was pretty scant, and hence such companies today want the most for their money.
