LONDON (CMC):

The Windies will have added incentive to win the ICC World Cup starting later this month after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a record US$4-million (over J$541 million) jackpot for the champions yesterday.

The tournament, which runs from May 30 to July 14, will see the Windies and hosts England, defending champions Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka all challenging for top honours.

All 10 teams will face each other in a round-robin group stage, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals.

The losing semi-finalists will pick up US$800,000 (J$108 million) each, while the losing finalists will collect US$2 million (J$270 million).

Teams will earn US$40,000 (J$5.4 million) for each match they win in the preliminary round, while the six teams that miss out on the final four will get $100,000 (J$13.5 million) each.

The prize money is part of an overall US$10-million (J$1.35 billion) payout for the tournament, in which the Windies are two-time champions, having won the first two editions in 1975 and 1979.

The West Indies will begin a one-week camp at the Rose Bowl in Southampton today before facing New Zealand and South Africa in official warm-up matches on May 26 and 28.

The Caribbean side face Pakistan in their first match of the World Cup on May 31 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.