ICC hikes Champions Trophy prize money to $4.5 million

The ICC has hiked the prize money for the Champions Trophy by $500,000 (~3.20 crore), making it $4.5 million (~29.93 crore) with a winner’s share of $2.2 million (~14.63 crore).

“The ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales from 1-18 June carries a total prize money of $4.5 million with the winner of the eight-team tournament taking home a cheque of $2.2 million,” the ICC announced.

The runner-up will get $1.1 million (~7.31 crore), while the other semifinalists will earn $450,000 (~2.88 crore) each. Teams finishing third in each group will take home $90,000 (~57.75 lakh), while the teams finishing last in each group will get $60,000 (~38.50 lakh).

Sri Lanka’s national cricket squad trained together for the first time in months at a highaltitude location to prepare for June’s Champions Trophy, the country’s board said Sunday.

The 15-man squad led by Angelo Mathews completed a week-long training session and will have three days of rest in Colombo before leaving for London on Thursday.

They went through strength and altitude training in the central hill region of Kandy, 500 metres (1,65 feet) above sea level, to prepare for conditions in England, Sri Lanka Cricket said.

“Over the past months many of us have not been able to play together consistently as a team due to injury or other factors,” Mathews said in a statement.

“So working together like this and learning to work with and around each others strengths is a great thing.” Earlier this month, the cricket board secured the services of famed South African paceman Allan Donald an interim bowling coach.

Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn has ruled himself out of South Africa’s tour of England due to a slow recovery from shoulder surgery. The first Test starts July 6.