India play Kiwis in Sharjah opener

Each team will play the other twice in the preliminary league before the top two sides clash in the final.

The winners will get $ 40,000 dollars, the runners-up $ 30,000 dollars and the third-placed team $ 15,000 dollars, Abdulrahman Bukhatir, vice-chairman of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), the organisers, told reporters.

Apart from this, there will also be Man of the Match prizes of $ 1000 for each of the preliminary matches and $ 1500 for the final. The Man of the Series will get $ 2500, he said.

There will also be $ 1000 prizes for the batsman who scores the fastest 50, the best bowler and the best fielder.

Javed Akhtar of Pakistan, Ian Robinson of Zimbabwe and Steve Bucknor of the West Indies will be the umpires whileTalat Ali of Pakistan has been named as the tournament referee by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Former Indian Test players Pankaj Roy, Brijesh Patel and Shivlal Yadav will be among the beneficiaries of the tournament. Beneficiaries in the past have got around $35,000 each.

In all, the CBFS has given benefit purses to more than 100 players so far, who have collectively received more than three million dollars.

The New Zealanders are expected to reach here on April 13, the Australians on April 15 and the Indians on April 16.

This will be the second flood-lit event at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.The CBFS is planning to invite Australian Kerry Packer, who popularised the instant variety of the game in the late seventies through his Channel Nine, to attend the tournament.

"We have sent an invitation to Mr Packer for the tournament," CBFS coordinator Asif Iqbal said.

Tournament schedule:

April 17: India vs New Zealand;
April 18: Australia vs New Zealand;
April19: India vs Australia;
April 20: India vs New Zealand;
April 21: Australia vs New Zealand;
April 22: India vs Australia;
April 23: Rest.
April 24: Final