Date-stamped : 15 Jan97 - 10:13
14 January 1997

Big Bucks For West Indies

From TONY COZIER in Sydney

THE remarkable resurgence by the  West  Indies  during  the  last
month  of  their  Australian tour has not only regained pride and
prestige but has already earned the players increased prize money
with the prospect of more to come.

The Australian Cricket  Board  (ACB)  has  allocated  Aus$100,000
(US$79,000)  in  prize  money for the Test series and Aus$189,000
(US$109,340) for the World Series tournament-and the West  Indies
were  in danger of coming out with very little of it after defeat
in the first two Test and first two World Series matches  against
Australia.

That has quickly changed as their  form  and  fortunes  have  im-
proved.

Money for  the  Tests  is  divided  Aus$12,000  for  the  winner,
Aus$5,000  for  the loser with Aus$3,000 for the Man-of-the-Match
and $20,000 in air travel from series sponsors  Ansett   Airlines
for  the Player-of-the-Series. After two Tests, Australia had al-
ready pocketed Aus$24,000, Ian Healy  had  taken  the  Player-of-
the-Match   money  in  the First  Test  and  Glenn McGrath in the
Second.

Australia seemed well on the way to not only retaining the  Frank
Worrell  Trophy  but  also  to  earning  the substantial bonus of
Aus$100,000 offered the team  by  the  Australian Cricket   Board
(ACB) for winning the series.

The scenario has changed dramatically since then. The West Indies
took the Aus$12,000 prize for their victory in the Third Test and
Curtly Ambrose collected the Aus$3,000 Player-of-the-Match award.

The series remains wide open. Should there be a draw in  the  two
remaining  Tests, the Aus$17,000 booty will be put into a pool to
be distributed at the end of the series but that seems unlikely.

After comfortable victories over the West Indies in the first two
World  Series  matches, Australia seemed destined for the finals-
and the West Indies for an early exit. Since then, Australia have
lost  all three of their matches and are in danger of being elim-
inated from the best-of-three finals for the first time since the
first  year  of World Series in 1978-79. The West Indies have won
all three of theirs and head the table  and  Pakistan  are  close
behind  after  beating Australia in all three of their matches so
far.

With the West Indies having already clinched a place in  the  fi-
nals,  they  are  in  line  to  collect the $100,000 given to the
overall World Series champions or,  the  $50,000  for being   the
beaten  finalists.  The also-rans will get $25,000 for competing.
It is an added incentive for the players to whom all the winnings
go  through a team pool-as is the case with the winnings from the
Tests.

Each Man-of-the-Match winner collects $1,000.  The  Man-  of-the-
Series  prize,  sponsored  this  season by the Carlton and United
Brewery after government anti-smoking legislation forced the  gi-
ant tobacco company, Benson & Hedges, to end its association with
Australian cricket that had lasted  more  than 20  years,  is   a
$20,000  motor  bike.  Carl  Hooper, Brian Lara and Junior Murray
have put themselves in definite contention for the award.

Source :: Express (Trinidad) (http://www.trinidad.net/express)

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