One year after the 2024 T20 World Cup, players from the Oman national cricket team say they remain unpaid, sidelined, and in some cases, forced out of the country—raising serious concerns about player rights, governance, and accountability in international cricket.
$225,000 prize money missing as players left in limbo
Despite a winless showing at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, Oman Cricket earned $225,000 in prize money—a guaranteed payout for all group-stage teams. Yet, a year later, the players report they’ve received nothing.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed the funds were transferred to the Oman Cricket Board. ICC rules mandate prize money distribution to players within 21 days of the tournament’s conclusion. Despite repeated player appeals and mounting pressure from the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), no payments have been made.
Speaking out—and paying the price
Players who questioned the board say they were met with severe retaliation—contract terminations, exclusion from national selection, and even loss of residency-linked employment.
“Our lives have been upended over this issue,” said top-order batter Kashyap Prajapati, speaking to ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve lost our spot in the team, our contracts have been torn up, and we have been forced to leave the country.”
Prajapati, now in the United States, claimed Oman’s players weren’t paid for the 2021 T20 World Cup either—because they weren’t even aware prize money was awarded at the time.
Former pacer Fayyaz Butt, who played 77 matches for Oman across formats, echoed the disillusionment: “It’s been a massive loss for my career and professionally. I had to leave Oman. I’m not working at the moment—our playing careers are over.”
Squad overhaul after player revolt
In late 2024, during the T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup hosted in Muscat, players escalated concerns internally. The squad reportedly considered a boycott unless the board agreed to disburse the prize money.
Instead, Oman Cricket allegedly threatened replacements—and followed through. Just five of the original 15 players from the World Cup squad were retained. A reshuffled team took the field, ending the international careers of most of the squad.
With employment tied to visa status, several players were forced to leave the country entirely.
WCA and ICC pressure builds, but players remain unprotected
The players’ situation only surfaced globally after conversations with Canada and Nepal players during a tri-series in Toronto. Learning that their peers had received prize money, the Oman players reached out to the WCA, which identified a broader trend of non-payment issues among Associate nations.
WCA CEO Tom Moffat condemned the situation: “It reflects poorly on the whole sport. More non-payment issues in major ICC events from nearly a year ago are unacceptable.”
“While most boards do the right thing, it’s frustrating that some are still not. It’s also extremely concerning if players are unable to raise legitimate issues without fear of punishment,” Moffat added.
ICC powerless to enforce payment compliance
The ICC has acknowledged the issue and remains in communication with Oman Cricket. Insiders say the board characterized it as a “misunderstanding.” However, there are currently no mechanisms to enforce prize money payments or penalize defaulting member boards.
The WCA has proposed withholding future ICC funding from non-compliant boards, but the suggestion remains under review in the ICC’s member-driven governance structure.
Although a 2024 agreement between ICC and WCA aimed to standardize prize money policies through 2027, the WCA reports that all three ICC events since have seen delayed or partial payments.
A test case for Associate Member rights
This crisis in Oman may prove pivotal for the global game. It highlights the fragile status of players from Associate Member nations—who often lack representation, oversight, and legal recourse when boards fail them.
As the ICC promotes global expansion of cricket, Oman’s case raises an essential question: will emerging cricket nations offer players a viable and secure career—or expose them to greater risks?
For Oman’s former national cricketers, the cost of silence has been high. The cost of speaking out may have been even higher.
