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Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaj Butt on Friday lavished praise on ICC vice president Sharad Pawar, saying the former BCCI President remained sympathetic and neutral during PCB's negotiation with the International Cricket Council on issues pertaining to the 2011 World Cup.
Butt conceded he too subscribed to the popular notion here that BCCI actually ditched PCB in its effort to get back the 14 matches of the 2011 World Cup which were shifted out of the country on security grounds.
But along with ICC president David Morgan, Pawar remained sympathetic and helped them to find a solution which enables PCB to retain hosting fees despite not actually hosting matches, he said.
"At first that thought came to my mind but I can say with confident that David Morgan and Sharad Pawar remained neutral throughout and were very helpful and supportive to our cause," Butt told reporters in Lahore.
The PCB chief said BCCI did oppose Pakistan's proposal to hold its share of World Cup matches at neutral venues or getting those 14 matches back but made it clear that Pawar remained neutral and didn't favor the Indian board during negotiations.
"Morgan and Pawar have been very supportive to Pakistan cricket and I am thankful for that. It was because of them that we have managed to resolve this dispute and reach a solution acceptable to everyone," Butt said.
He said Pakistan itself never wanted the World Cup disrupted because of its legal challenge against the ICC.
"We wanted this issue resolved quickly," he said. He also confirmed that Morgan and Pawar had both assured the PCB that they would do their best to convince the Indian board to resume bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan by next year in the UAE or England.
"We might be playing against India at a neutral venue. I told Morgan and Pawar that there was a need to revive Indo-Pak cricket ties," he said.
Butt conceded if India didn't play against Pakistan in next four years, the PCB could end up losing around USD 70 million of its USD 140.5 million dollars deal it had signed with a Dubai-based broadcaster for television rights.
