Guyanese could earn G$600 Million if they win tournament

Aug 07, 2010 Sports

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By Sean Devers

The Airtel Champions League 20/20 cricket tournament bowls off in South Africa on the 10th of next month and the winner’s prize is US$2.5 Million.
However, US$1.3 Million is assured once any team gets to the final while the teams that reach the semi-finals takes home half of a million US dollars.
This is the world’s most lucrative club tournament and by virtue of beating Barbados in the Caribbean 20/20 Championships, Guyana will earn a minimum of G$40 million even if they lose all of their four preliminary round matches.
Trinidad and Tobago who set the standards very high for the Caribbean with an unbeaten run before losing to New South Wales in last year’s inaugural final in India, were beaten at home in the Caribbean 20/20 semi-finals by Guyana, who represent the Caribbean this time around.
Ten teams, two less than last year due to the absence of the English teams (the tournament clashes with their domestic season) will vie for top honours in South Africa where 23 matches will be played leading up to the September 26 Final in Johannesburg.
The leading players in the world will be competing for top honours in this tournament and England and Pakistan are the only top-Eight Test-playing nations that will not be represented in a nation which successfully hosted the World Cup Football a few months ago.
Guyana will need to be at the top of their game to compete after winning the regional competition despite not firing on all cylinders.
Narsingh Deonarine, who hit the winning six to give Guyana the inaugural regional 20/20 title in Antigua in 2006, never produced in the Caribbean 20/20 championship while apart from Travis Dowlin who is Guyana’s leading 20/20 batsman, none of the top order, which included Test players Sewnarine Chattergoon and Skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan really got stuck into the opposition bowling.

It was left on the youngest and most inexperienced member of the squad, Jonathon Foo, to push Guyana over the final hurdle on three occasions and while Chris Barnwell, Royston Crandon and Derwin Christian can all hit the ball, they were unable to stay around long enough to register big scores.
And while the Guyana bowling depended too much on leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo who impressed throughout the tournament, off-spinner Lennox Cush, who had a rare expensive spell in the final, and seamers Barnwell and Esuan Crandon, Guyana’s strength was their togetherness, the leadership of Sarwan and the ability of the players to chip in at crucial stages when others failed.
Now that the stakes are higher and the competition tougher, consistency will be critical since only Foo and Bishoo delivered in every game in Barbados and Trinidad.
Those who have followed Guyana’s present cricketers know that once they play to their potential this team is capable of causing a major upset in much the same way T&T did last year but mental strength will be a vital ingredient for success in South Africa and Sarwan will need to play the type of role that Daren Ganga played for T&T in India.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, (Guyana’s biggest name) opted to play for his English County side instead of Guyana and is now absent. But he has never dominated regional or International 20/20 cricket and should not be badly missed in a united team of players solidly behind the influential Sarwan.
Carl Moore might not be the toughest of Managers but he is genuinely interested in his players while Coach Ravindra Seeram and Video Analyst Robin Singh played their part as Guyana qualified for their biggest mission yet.
Guyana played to about 60% of its ability, influencing negative comments from a T&T journalist and will have to ‘step up’ in South Africa as they face Royal Bangalore Challengers (Sept 12), Mumbai Indians (Sept 16), Highveld Lions of South Africa (Sept19) and South Australian Redbacks (Sept 21) in the first round.
It is understood that in addition to the US$200,000 participation fee, each win earns the team an additional US$150,000.

While it seems unfair to the players to give them 50% of the money earned from the competition with the other half going to the Guyana Cricket Board, each player and the beefed-up support staff is already guaranteed at least G$1 million from the South African trip.
A source close to the contract issue explained that each team is allowed a 23-member squad made up of 15 players, five support staff and three Board officials. He said that from his understanding of the participation contract from the Organisers, 50% of the prize money is to be shared by the 23-man squad with the other half going to the Board for developmental work.
GCB President Chetram Singh, its Secretary Anand Sanasie and chief selector Claude Raphael are the 3 GCB members believed to be going with the team and the usually reliable source indicated that the three officials have shown very little interest in cutting into the prize money allocated for the 23-member squad, leaving it instead to be divided among just 20 persons.
Kaieteur News was informed that in addition to Moore, Seeram and Robin Singh, hard working Demerara Coach Orin Bailey and physiotherapist Beverly Nelson will also be a part of the support staff on tour.
Each individual who plays in the final X1 should also be paid a match fee while the possibility of Man-of-the-Match awards could result in the Guyanese, if they win the title, returning home with well over G$600 million. It is also understood that the GCB gets 50% of only the prize money and not the player’s appearance fees.
While winning or at least putting up a spirited performance will help to expose Guyana to the international tourism market and do the entire Caribbean proud, the prospects of million-dollar individual IPL contracts for the players makes this trip a glorious opportunity to change the lives of those on tour and improve Guyana’s image to a global audience.
The late distribution of contracts to the players and its questionable contents threatened to put Guyana’s participation in jeopardy but the pledge of Government’s support and the outpouring of well wishes from Guyanese both at home and abroad should inspire this team to give their all or go down trying.
The players start their preparations on Monday and the GCB and the Guyana Government is hoping to get T&T to play a practice game against Guyana at the Stadium as the Twin Island Republic team, beaten on 3 consecutive occasions by Guyana in 20/20 cricket, look to avenge their semi-final 4-run loss.
If properly promoted, this game can produce a sell-out crowd and big profits for its organisers while it is not too late to re-produce Guyana team shirts for sale to further intensify the nationalistic feeling leading up to South Africa.
Sporting glory and unifies a nation and builds self esteem in its citizens so let’s continue the cry ‘Waka, Waka Guyana in South Africa’.
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WICB says all CLT20 prize money will be paid directly to GCB

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) yesterday responded to a story carried in the Trinidad Guardian which they claimed had several inaccuracies and emphasized that any prize monies earned from the Airtel Champions League by the Guyana team will be paid directly to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) by CLT20, adding that the WICB has no part in this.
“In response to an article in the Trinidad Guardian today, August 6th, the WICB wishes to clarify the issues which have not been factually presented in the article,” a WICB release said.
The WICB release listed the following points to clear the air on the matter.
1. It is the WICB which is paid a Participation Fee by the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) of US$500,000. This Participation Fee is for the WICB to nominate a team from the West Indies to participate in the Airtel Champions League.
2. The WICB incurred costs of just over US$2million in staging the recently concluded Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament.
3. Having borne such a significant cost to stage the Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament – from which the winner was nominated to participate in the Airtel Champions League – the WICB has decided to retain one third of the US$500,000 to help in offsetting costs for hosting the Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament.
4. The WICB will give the remaining two thirds to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) as a result of the Guyana team emerging winner of the Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament and being nominated to represent the West Indies in the Airtel Champions League.
5. It is for the GCB and the Guyana players or their representative to agree how this two thirds of the Participation Fee is shared.
6. The WICB understands that the actual issues in dispute regard the request by WIPA to engage in negotiations with the GCB:
i) with WIPA as agent for the players on matters pertaining to the sharing of the GCB’s share of the Participation Fee and prize monies and
ii) with WIPA as agent for West Indies Player Management Company Limited (WIPMACOL) on matters pertaining to players’ image rights.
7. Neither the WICB nor the GCB can negotiate use of players’ image rights for the Airtel Champions League. This is the exclusive purview of the CLT20. Any players’ image rights negotiations WIPA as agent for WIPMACOL wishes to engage in on behalf of the Guyana players must be done directly with CLT20. The WICB wishes to make it clear that with regard to the Airtel Champions League it has no involvement where the exploitation of players’ image rights are concerned. Further the CLT20 has clearly indicated that issues relating to exploitation of players’ image rights are not for WICB or GCB.
8. The WICB did not and cannot negotiate with WIPA on any issue pertaining to the Guyana team’s participation in the Airtel Champions League as the team participating is not the West Indies Cricket Team.
9. Any prize monies earned from the Airtel Champions League by the Guyana team will be paid directly to the GCB by CLT20 and WICB has no part in this.

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