ICC announced the record-breaking prize money of US$ 11.25 million for the T20 World Cup last year. Oman, one of the participating teams, received US$ 225,000 for finishing the tournament between 13th and 20th position. However, a year on, none of the Oman players in the World Cup squad have received a single penny from the cricket board.
A member of that squad, Kashyap Prajapati who lived the dream, playing against big teams like Australia and England last year, is now in the US, looking to secure a future after having been forced out of Oman after the pay dispute with the cricket board. Moreover, none of the players from that World Cup squad are part of the setup now as Oman Cricket refused to pay the players anything from the prize money.
"Our lives have been upended over this issue; we've lost our spot in the team, our contracts have been torn up, and we have been forced to leave the country. It's just so confusing and we don't understand why the ICC isn't able to ensure we get paid the prize money we have earned, and why there isn't a safe space for us to raise concerns?" Prajapati said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo.
According to the ICC's terms of participation of events, all prize money received in the World Cup must be paid to the squad members within 21 days of the end of the event. He shockingly revealed that the team never received the prize money from the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup either, as they didn't know about it.
With players refusing to play until the prize money was paid, the Oman cricket board changed the entire team just before the T20 Emerging teams Asia Cup in October last year. The players, after their refusal to play unless paid, were asked to pack their bags and check out of the hotel they were staying.
"It's been a massive loss for my career and professionally. I had to leave Oman. I'm not working at the moment, looking for opportunities but our playing careers are over," another Oman player Fayyaz Butt said.