In an embarrassing gaffe, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for a left-arm Pakistani pacer, who bagged five wickets in the semi-final of the national one-day championship in Lahore, only to retract the prize saying it was meant for the final match.
At the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, Zia-ul-Haq bagged a five-wicket haul to lead National Bank to victory and senior Board official's announced the cash prize for the young pacer on national television during the presentation ceremony.
When the manager of the National bank team, Jameel Ahmed went to the Board office immediately after the match to find out about the encashment of the cheque as he wanted to distribute money among the players, he got the surprise of his life.
According to a well-informed source, an official in the domestic cricket department, Saqib Irfan informed Jameel that the award was announced by mistake and the cheque was handed over to Zia due to a misunderstanding.
"The official told the bank manager that there were no individual awards for the semi-finals and the 50,000 award was meant for the final but by mistake it was announced at the semi-finals by the marketing people," the source said.
"Zia was gutted when Jameel informed the youngster about this blunder," the source added.
Zia has already represented the Pakistan under-19 and A teams.
Pakistan Cricket Board Announces 50,000 Cash Prize for Youngster, But Retracts It
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Pakistan Cricket Board had announced the award for Zia-ul-Haq, a left-arm pacer who bagged five wickets in the semi-final of the domestic one-day tournament.
Pakstan Cricket Board says the cheque was handed over to left-arm pacer Zia-ul-Haq due to a misunderstanding© Getty Images