BCB refutes claims of delay in disbursing World Cup 2023 prize money

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday firmly denied allegations of delaying the disbursement of prize money from the 2023 ICC Men's ODI Cricket World Cup, refuting claims made by Debabrata Paul, a BCB councillor and general secretary of the Cricket Welfare Association of Bangladesh.

In a statement, the BCB clarified that the delay in prize money disbursement was not intentional, attributing it to administrative procedures rather than negligence.

"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," BCB said in a statement on Tuesday.

The BCB explained that it promptly submitted the necessary invoices to the International Cricket Council (ICC) following the conclusion of the World Cup in November 2023.

To expedite the resolution of these issues, the BCB engaged Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, a renowned international accounting firm, to process the relevant applications for all Bangladeshi players who took part in the tournament.  

"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," it said.

According to the BCB, these formalities have recently been completed, and the prize money is expected to be credited in the coming weeks.

"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," added in the statement.

"The BCB strongly refutes the untrue remarks made by the concerned councillor 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 statement concluded.