Naqvi promises huge rewards for World Cup win

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday announced a hefty amount for the national cricketers if they are able to win the ICC T20 World Cup which will be held in the US and West Indies next month.

The PCB chairman held a meeting with the team here at the PCB headquarters on Sunday and announced that each and every player will be handed over 100,000 US dollars if the nation is able to win the World Cup.

Naqvi, also federal interior minister, said that this amount has no value in front of the title victory. He advised the players to play fearless cricket and with commitment.

“Only play for Pakistan. Don’t care for anyone and play with a fine team work and inshaAllah Pakistan will achieve the milestone,” Naqvi told the cricketers. “The players are united,” he said.

He told frontline pacer Shaheen Afridi that he will deliver in the World Cup as nation has a lot of expectations from him. The PCB chief also presented a special shirt to stumper Mohammad Rizwan for completing 3000 runs in T20I cricket.

He also handed over a green shirt to pacer Naseem Shah for completing 100 wickets in T20 cricket. He also assured the players that their problems will be addressed on priority basis. Selectors Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf, skipper Babar Azam, assistant coach Azhar Mehmood and Director International Cricket Usman Wahla were also present on the occasion.

The PCB chairman spent two hours with the players and officials, discussing with them different cricketing matters, especially the World Cup. Before meeting with the PCB chief, Pakistan team underwent hard training at the Gaddafi Stadium.

On Monday the brigade will train for the last time before it flies out of here for Ireland on Tuesday (tomorrow) to play three T20I against Ireland. And after that the Green-shirts will move to England to play four T20I matches before moving to the US to kick-start their World Cup journey with their opener against the US in Dallas on June 6.