Pakistan players turning instant millionaires after CT win

Karachi: The young Pakistani players who played in the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time and won the title have become instant millionaires after a string of cash and other rewards announced on Tuesday.

Opener Fakhar Zaman, pacer Rumaan Raees and all-rounder Fahim Ashraf all made their ODI debuts in the Champions Trophy while 18-year-old spinner Shadab Khan has just played seven ODIs for Pakistan.

Others like captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Hassan Ali, Emad Wasim were also playing in their first Champions Trophy tournament.

For all these players, the Champions Trophy is turning out to be a bonanza in financial terms.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced to give cash award of ten million rupees to each player.

Information minister Maryam Aurangzeb told the media in Islamabad that Sharif will also host a grand reception for the winning team. The players have also been invited to visit the Senate with the trophy to honour them for their victory.

The PCB also announced that besides the cash bonus of 29 million rupees due to the team as part of their central contracts, the Board would also give each player a cash bonus of one million rupees.

The team has already pocketed prize money of around 200 million rupees from the ICC for winning the trophy.

Famous builder Riaz Malik has also announced cash prizes of one million rupees each and plots for the players while others are slated to follow soon.

A marketing executive said the new players would also earn a lot now from endorsements after the Champions Trophy victory.