BCB refutes claims of deliberately delaying World Cup prize money

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refuted claims made by a BCB councilor concerning BCB's delay in distributing the prize money of the ODI World Cup last year.

While talking to the media yesterday at Mirpur, match referee Debabrata Paul told the media that the players have not yet received the prize money for the tournament played in October-November last year.

"The ODI World Cup took place in India in 2023. The contract that ICC has with the International Cricketers' Association, according to that, within 15 days they will receive the prize money which is distributed among the players. That prize money has not been given to the players and 14 days have gone by since this World Cup [T20]," Debabrata had told the media yesterday.

The BCB said that the delay has not been deliberate or due to negligence on the board's part.

"The BCB would like to clarify that the delay is not deliberate or due to any negligence on the part of the board. Prize money for major International Cricket Council (ICC) events, such as the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, is typically received within a few months following the tournament's conclusion," a BCB press release read today.

The BCB press release added that other participating countries have faced similar delays in distributing prize money due to taxation formalities and compliance issues.

"The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 concluded in November 2023, and the BCB promptly submitted the necessary invoice to the ICC. However, due to taxation formalities and compliance issues, the disbursement process has encountered delays. These are administrative hurdles that have impacted not only the BCB but also other participating countries. To expedite the procedure, the BCB appointed renowned international accounting firm Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP in India which processed the relevant applications of all the Bangladesh players who participated in the World Cup.

"We have been informed that these formalities have only recently been completed and that the prize money is expected to be credited to the BCB in the coming weeks.

"The BCB strongly refutes the untrue remarks made by the concerned councilor and vehemently protests the insinuations of malpractice against the board and its officials on this matter. Such allegations are baseless and undermine the integrity of the BCB's operations," the BCB press release added.