A report published yesterday in the Trinidad Guardian states that members of the West Indies cricket team could cash in on a US$630 000 (approximately TT$4 million) bonus.
This follows the team?s remarkable two-wicket win against England in the ICC Champions Trophy final last Saturday in England.According to the report, each player could pocket up US$45 000 ($283 000) in bonus money courtesy the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the current sponsors, LNM Group. It added that the bonus money does not represent the players? individual contractual agreement money with the WICB. The 14 players will share the jackpot, which was promised to them if they brought the coveted ICC Cup to the Caribbean for the first time in the tournament?s six-year history.
The managing staff, which is made up of Tony Howard (manager) and Gus Logie (coach), together with Ronald Rogers (physio), and Andrew Simpson (trainer), were not guaranteed a bonus. The regional cricketers also pocketed a cool US$525 000 ($3.3 million) after the victory against England.
The ICC had offered US$50 000 ($314 000) for each victory in a group match. The regional team collected US$100 000 ($629,000) after they defeated Bangladesh and South Africa in the group qualifiers. They then picked up a further US$125 000 ($78 625) for their semi-final victory against Pakistan at the Rose Bowl, and another US$300 000 ($1.9 million) for winning the final.
All of the winnings are thrown into a pot and divided among the players.
The report further stated that when Windies skipper Brian Lara lifted the 18-inch prize? a sterling silver trophy made of a silver gilt cricket ball engraved with a world map?the team was already guaranteed the automatic ICC prize money. However, the LNM Group had committed to giving the team ?an incentive bonus linked to the actual winning performance of the team progressively through the competition?, before they headed out to England.
This was not quantified by WICB president Teddy Griffith at the time of the announcement of the sponsorship, but he said the bonus was one of three streams of earnings available to the players during the ICC series.
