MUMBAI: The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is set to get bigger. The ICC Board under the chairmanship of Narayanaswami Srinivasan which met recently at its headquarters has approved total prize money of USD 10 million, an increase of approximately 20 per cent from the last World Cup which was held in 2011.
The board which met to receive an update on the 2015 World Cup expressed satisfaction with the preparations for the Council’s pinnacle 50-over tournament. The board has also decided that if a team wins the tournament without losing a single match it will receive atotal prize money of USD 4,020,000, while a team that loses one match on the way to winning the tournament will receive USD 3,975,000.
The breakdown of the prize money is given below:
The board has approved the cut-off dates for qualification to the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The top eight sides on the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings on 30 September 2015 will qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, which will be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The cut-off date for the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019 also to be played in England and Wales was set for 30 September 2017. The top eight ranked sides on that date will automatically qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, while the ninth and 10th ranked teams will play in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier to be held in Bangladesh in 2018.
The board also accepted the revised ICC Anti-Doping Code, ICC Anti-Corruption Code and Code of Ethics. While the Anti-Doping Code, which is in line with the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code, will come into effect from 1 January 2015, the revised Anti-Corruption Code and the Code of Ethics will come into effect immediately.
ICC chairman N. Srinivasan speaking about the revision of the ICC Anti Corruption Code said: “The process for the revision was exhaustive and has been based on our learnings and experiences over the past few years. This Code is now even more robust and comprehensive and it provides clarity on jurisdictional issues, gives options to the charged participant and offers more choices to the Anti-Corruption Tribunal.”
ICC chief executive David Richardson commented, “The battle against corruption remains one of cricket’s biggest challenges and we remain committed to eliminating this menace from our sport. Although the final outcome is likely to be presented at the January meeting, I have been heartened with the progress the Integrity Working Party has made.”
Also, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s nomination of Najam Sethi who was the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, for the ICC Presidency has been accepted. He will be taking over from Mustafa Kamal as the ICC President for a period of 12 months.
