New Delhi: The International Cricket Council on Friday announced that the winners of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 would earn a purse of four million dollar, the highest prize money to date, along with the trophy that the victorious team will lift at the Lord’s on July 16.
The total prize pot of 10 million dollar will see the runners-up assured of 2 million dollar and the losing semifinalists 800,000 dollar each at the end of the 46-day tournament being played across 11 venues from May 30.
There are prizes for each league match won, in what promises to be a competitive tournament with the world’s best playing each other in a round-robin format.
The semi-finals will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 9 and July 11, respectively, while the Lord’s will host the final on July 14.
There are 10 teams in the tournament which will play against each other in a single-league format, with the top four sides after 45 matches to qualify for the two semi-finals.
So far, Australia are the most successful side, to have lifted the World Cup in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015 while India won in 1983 and 2011.
Pakistan clinched the title in 1992, Sri Lanka in 1996 and the West Indies sweeped the first two editions in 1975 and 1979.
The ICC on Friday announced a star-studded lineup of commentators for the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales.
The complete list has a total of 24 names and it includes Michael Clarke, who was captain when Australia lifted the trophy in the previous edition of the tournament.
Harsha Bhogle, Sanjay Manjrekar and Sourav Ganguly are the Indian commentators for the mega event.
Kumar Sangakkara, who recently became the first-ever non-British president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), is the only Sri Lankan commentator.
Pakistan’s Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja, and Bangladesh’s Athar Ali Khan are also part of the panel.
Brendon McCullum, who captained New Zealand to a runners-up finish in the 2015 tournament, is also part of the commentary panel. Regional broadcasters are also expected to add to the list of names.
Full list of commentators: Nasser Hussain, Michael Clarke, Ian Bishop, Sourav Ganguly, Melanie Jones, Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Atherton, Alison Mitchell, Brendon McCullum, Graeme Smith, Wasim Akram, Shaun Pollock, Michael Slater, Mark Nicholas, Michael Holding, Isa Guha, Pommie Mbangwa, Sanjay Manjrekar, Harsha Bhogle, Simon Doull, Ian Smith, Ramiz Raja, Athar Ali Khan and Ian Ward. (Agencies)
