January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Cricket gets $1 million windfall from ICC
With most of the world in a football frenzy, the International Cricket Council is trying to broaden the appeal of the sport.
ICC president Ehsan Mani told crickinfo.com that "no game can sustain itself in the long-term if it is only played by 10 countries. We're all watching the football World Cup and you can see how football is in more than double the number of countries than the ICC."
The latest gift is from the ICC, who will be giving the six associate countries — which includes Bermuda — $1 million so they can qualify for the 2011 World Cup. It's a financial boom time for local cricket as this is in addition to the $500,000 the ICC is giving for the 2007 World Cup and the $11 million promised by the Bermuda Government.
Bermuda Cricket Board president Reggie Pearman welcomed the news of more money.
He said the interesting part was that the ICC is already planning on helping Bermuda for the following World Cup and not the one in 2007.
"Government is helping us until 2009" so this will help us build momentum said Pearman. "This is good news. It will help us put in more programmes that we'd like to implement."
Mani told Cricinfo.com: "This is just to consolidate the growth in these countries to make sure they become more professional in their approach…We have to leave a legacy behind after the World Cup for these countries to develop.
"We have to make sure not only continues to spread and get stronger in the non-tradtional countries, but also that the standard of playing is good enough for these countries to challenge the ten (Test playing) countries."
All this cash has already improved the number of international matches for cricket and it's starting to draw away young talent from football.
Oronde Bascome, captain of the under-18 cricket team, turned down a chance to play college soccer in the states to accept a cricket scholarship in the U.K.
He said it had been a 'big decision' to make but he had opted to pursue his cricket career, because he thought the sport was "going places in Bermuda".
"I chose cricket because it looks like it is going far in this country," said the 18-year-old opening batsman.
He said Bermuda's qualification for the World Cup had given him an extra incentive to work hard and try to make the team.
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