Karachi: With the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in mind, Pakistan will host its third edition of the instant version of the game in December carrying a prize money of Rs. One million to woo its top players.

The first two editions of the Twenty20 Cup have been unqualified success stories for the Board with both tournaments drawing huge crowds in Lahore and Karachi.

But some of the leading players opted to stay away from the competition for various reasons in the first two editions.

A PCB official, however, said this time the tournament had been scheduled in Karachi in such a way that all the main players would be available to play for their regions.

"Very soon the board will issue instructions to these players to ensure they play in the competition that is part of our agreement with our domestic cricket sponsors," the official said.

The Twenty20 Cup will be held a week before the Pakistan team leaves for South Africa on January 2 for a Test and ODI tour.

The official said the matches would be telecast live by Ten Sports.

Pakistan was one of the few countries to promote Twenty20 cricket since its inception and is preparing a strategy to send a specialist team for next year's Twenty20 World championship in South Africa.