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All too often ignored in favour of the big name sport stars, cricketing groundstaff who kept the rain-hit Asia Cup running were promised a $50,000 shared bonus by organisers on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj, who returned figures of 6-21 to lead India\u2019s rout of Sri Lanka<\/a> by 10 wickets as they clinched their eighth Asia Cup title, also vowed to donate his $5,000 man of the match prize winnings to those who looked after the pitches.<\/p>\n The 50-over Asia Cup is a precursor to the upcoming one-day international (ODI) World Cup, and most of the matches were moved to Sri Lanka after India refused to tour Pakistan<\/a> due to political tensions.<\/p>\n But rain played havoc and multiple matches in the six-nation tournament were delayed, and some abandoned<\/a>.<\/p>\n The nearly three-week-long event was only saved by an army of around 100 Sri Lankan groundstaff wearing orange tops, who sprinted out with the covers each time rain halted play.<\/p>\n The team have been hailed the real stars by fans, commentators and players.<\/p>\n \u201cBig shout out to the unsung heroes of cricket!\u201d president of the Asian Cricket Council Jay Shah posted today on X, formerly Twitter, praising their \u201cunwavering commitment and hard work\u201d.<\/p>\n Shah, who is also the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief, said the Asian Cricket Council and Sri Lanka Cricket were \u201cproud to announce a well-deserved prize money of $50,000 for the dedicated curators and groundsmen.\u201d<\/p>\n Staff at Sri Lanka\u2019s grounds at Colombo and Kandy would get the bonus, he said.<\/p>\n