LAHORE: While Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has released final installment of Rs 20million for the national hockey team for clinching gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games held in China, national women’s and men’s cricket teams are still waiting for the cash prize, since they also won a gold and silver medal respectively in the same event.

“We are thankful that the prime minister has released the remaining prize money of Rs20million for the national hockey team,” Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Asif Bajwa told Dawn here on Monday.

“It is good that unlike previous governments the current government fulfilled its promise as it earlier released an amount of Rs 20million and now it has again fulfilled the promise of releasing the second installment as well,” Bajwa said.

Stating that the players did really well by claiming a gold medal in the Asiad after a long period of 20 years, he said eight rebel players, who are currently facing inquiry for violating the PHF rules by participating in the controversial WSH in India, also had their share in the cash prize, since many of them were part of the gold medal-winning squad.

However, men’s and women’s cricketers are still waiting for the same treatment from the government.

Every women cricketer is supposed to receive a cash prize of Rs2.5 million, while every men cricketer Rs1.5 million.

When contacted, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman confirmed that both the national cricket teams have not received cash prizes as yet.

It is pertinent to mention that the government had asked former PCB chairman Ijaz Butt to make payment from its own resources. But then chairman of the cash-rich body refused to obey orders, saying that since cricketers had also earned laurels for the country like other medal winners, there should be no discrimination and the government should make payment to cricketers, too.

However, the wrangling between the PCB and government dealt financial blow to cricketers despite doing their best in the Asian Games which for the first time included the game of cricket in 2010.