India's cricketers are unhappy with the daily allowance they receive from the New Zealand cricket board (NZC), the Sunday Star-Times reported, giving NZC another pay-dispute headache after it settled a major one with their own players. The host country pays an ICC-recommended daily allowance of $US50, but the figure can vary. NZC and the Indian cricket board (BCCI), fixed $60 for match days and $80 for non-match days, the difference of $20 being for lunch served at the ground. The NZC also did not pay a laundry allowance, the Star-Times added. But the Indian players complained and the BCCI stepped in as peacemaker and agreed to make up the shortfall.

No such grievances worried New Zealand cricketers, who after satisfactorily settling a pay-dispute that threatened to degenerate into a strike, are now offered a bounty of almost a US$300,000 each with if they return with the World Cup. This would be on top of their annual retainers which range from $40,000 to $120,000.

The World Cup itself offers five times more prize money than the previous competition in 1999. The pool of $10 million for the 2002 World Cup is anincrease of $2m from 1999, thanks mainly to Indian sponsors.

Dr Ali Bacher, the World Cup's executive director, said there was a drive to reward successful teams in line with global sporting trends. "The players are the key," Dr Bacher told the ICC website. "The game is about them. It is therefore logical from our side to substantially increase the rewards to benefit those teams who excel at the highest level of the game.

"We also believe that this prize money will be a major motivational factor for all the competing teams." Dr Bacher said. He defended the huge difference between winning ($4m) and finishing runner-up ($1.6m). "Winning is everything," he said.

Even if New Zealand reach the semi-final, which they have done in four of the seven World Cups, Stephen Fleming and his team can share $800,000 – as well as the rewards on offer in group and Super Six stages where each win is worth $20,000 and $80,000 respectively.

Such figures also reflected increase in earning power available to New Zealand's top cricketers now, the Sunday Star-Times commented, bringing them on par with incomes of rugby and rugby league players in the country.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd