Scotland's cricketers have been given an extra incentive to perform well at the upcoming World Cup after the ICC announced a significant increase in prize money.
Having qualified for the finals for the third time, Scotland will come home with $35,000 even if they lose all six of their group matches. Any game that they win will earn an additional $45,000. For the previous World Cup in 2011, there was no direct participation reward and wins only counted for $30,000 apiece. The announcement of ICC largesse also contained some bleak news for the future aspirations of the players who will grace the top grounds in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.
The 2019 World Cup, as expected, has been confirmed as a 10-team event. As if the removal of four places were not bad enough, the qualifying event in 2018 will take place in Bangladesh, in totally different conditions to those that will greet the teams that reach the 2019 finals in England and Wales.
There was also some exciting news for Scotland's women, who will be heading to Thailand next year for the eight-day World Twenty20 Qualifier. The two finalists at the competition will qualify for the 2016 finals in India. Scotland are up against Bangladesh, Thailand and Papua New Guinea in Group A in Bangkok.
n Pakistan are in firm control of the first Test against New Zealand in the UAE after their in-form batsmen revelled in ideal conditions in Abu Dhabi to rewrite the record books. The home team's top-five batsmen all scored in excess of 80 for the first time in Test cricket and three of them went on to hit centuries before Pakistan declared for the fourth successive Test innings, which was also a first.
Their declaration on 566 for three left New Zealand facing an awkward seven overs and, although Brendon McCullum, who was again opening instead of Hamish Rutherford, and Tom Latham were able to safely negotiate a varied attack from Pakistan's four specialist bowlers up to close of play on the second day, they face a difficult task if they are to force a draw.
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