Cricketers to strike gold in Johannesburg
Batsmen in the first cricket Test between South Africa and Australia, which starts on Friday, will strike gold if they hit the ball onto a billboard sponsored by gold miner Gold Fields, the company said on Thursday.
Each batsman who directly strikes the billboard will win 12.581 kg of gold in cash or coins, Gold Fields said in a statement.
With gold hovering at $290 an ounce, a player stands to win about $117,300 if he hits the billboard, which is about 100 metres from the pitch behind the stands.
"The Gold Fields billboard is situated behind the stands, alongside the electronic scoreboard, so it's going to have to be a six in a million for anyone to win the gold bar," said Chris Thomson, Gold Field's CEO and chairman.
The first Test will be played at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg.
Mail Cricket Editor
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