Karachi: Pakistani cricketers will earn a cool million Dollar bonus if they win next year's World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Thursday. "Pakistan's 15 players would get huge cash incentives if they win the World Cup next year," PCB spokesman Samiul Hasan said. The PCB concluded it would offer a total package of Rs 60 million, or roughly $ 1 million, for players, coaches, manager and other national team officials. Players would be guaranteed a minimum of 1.5 million rupees each, but performance- related rewards would also be offered, Hasan said. Pakistan's only cup win in 1992 under legendary cricketer Imran Khan fetched players handsome cash awards besides land plots in the capital Islamabad. The eighth World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya in February-March, and Pakistan is reckoned among the Cup's top four favourites. A win would go a long way to help assuage the litany of brickbats and stream of match-fixing inquiries to which Pakistan's cricketers have been subjected in recent years. The country's players were blasted with match-fixing allegations after their quarter- final loss in the 1996 World Cup, jointly hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and after their runner-up finish in the 1999 Cup held in England. Pakistan had to conduct a World Cup match-fixing inquiry on its surprise defeats against Bangladesh and India in the 1999 World Cup but the team and all players were cleared. "Pakistan players play for their country and cash awards are just incentives," Hasan said.

Tags: cricket, karachi, pakistan, world cup, pakistan cricket board, pcb, samiul hasan, imran khan, south africa, zimbabwe, kenya, india, sri lanka, england.