Can seize assets of Pakistan Cricket Team, threatens private company

Pakistan Cricket team has found itself in a spot of bother yet again. According to news reports, a company based in the Isle of Man named 'Broadsheet LLC' may seize the assets owned by the Pakistan team in the coming two days. The Pakistan team is currently in the UK for a Test match series against England.

The legal dispute between Broadsheet LLC and the Pakistani government started way back in 2000 when the then Pakistani state head General Pervez Musharaf hired the company to trace hidden assets of Pakistan nationals in foreign countries.

However, when the Pakistan government couldn't clear the dues of the company, Broadsheet LLC took the matter to court.

Broadsheet LLC won the arbitration case against the state of Pakistan and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2018 where the court ruled out that NAB was liable to pay damages.

Nearly two years after the verdict and having seen no breakthrough, Broadsheet LLC has announced that it is legally liable to seize the assets of the Pakistan Cricket Team.

In the letter, Broadsheet says that the Pakistan team is "by the very nature, an asset of the defendant and that monies due to the team and assets of the team are assets of the defendant to the litigation".

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has played down the reports stating that the ordinance under which it was established makes it an autonomous body.

The PCB, which has been pushed into a corner, came up with a statement stating that it had no affiliation with the state machinery of Pakistan

"The PCB has no nexus whatsoever with the arbitration and/or recovery proceedings between Broadsheet LLC and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan & National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan," the PCB said in a statement.

The Pakistan government owes over 33 million dollars to Broadsheet LLC and PCB and the Pakistan team have become an unnecessary accomplice during this entire episode.

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Pakistan Cricket Team and the sponsorship conundrum

Recently the Pakistan Cricket Team and the PCB had to go through hoops to secure a sponsor for the national team. The team landed on British shores without any sponsors and after failing to attract any new deal had to settle on donning former Pakistan Cricket Team all-rounder Shahid Afridi's charity foundation's logo.

We’re delighted that the @SAFoundationN logo will be featured on the Pakistan playing kits, since we are charity partners to @TheRealPCB. Thanking #WasimKhan & the PCB for their continued support & wishing our boys all the very best with the tour #HopeNotOut https://t.co/v8fvodh0iN

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) July 8, 2020

However, at the last minute, Pakistan Cricket Team finalized a deal with its long time beverage-giant sponsor and a major financial crisis was averted.

However, with a new controversy surrounding the board, it will be interesting to see how Pakistan Cricket Team wades through this challenge with the series slated to start in little less than a week.