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 allrounder 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, Imad 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 a cash award of Rs 10 million 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 Rs 29 million due to the team as part of their central contracts, the Board would also give each player a cash bonus of Rs 1 million.
The team has already pocketed prize money of around Rs 200 million from the ICC for winning the trophy.
Famous builder Riaz Malik has also announced cash prizes of Rs 1 million 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.
