Proteas can help put a dent in CSA debt by winning the World Cup

Faf du Plessis’s team could help Cricket South Africa (CSA) put a dent in their debt at the imminent World Cup.

An International Cricket Council release on Friday said a total of US$10-million would be on the table at the tournament‚ which starts on May 30 with a match between England and South Africa at the Oval in London.

Should South Africa win that game and all eight of their other league matches as well as their semifinal‚ and go all the way to their first World Cup title‚ they will come home with US$4‚360‚000 — or R63‚984‚275 in Friday’s money.

How much of that would be left after the players and support staff have taken their cut is not known‚ but it should go some way to easing the losses of R654-million CSA told parliament in October that they would incur in the rights cycle that ends in 2022.

The six teams who make it through the league stage will earn US$100‚000 each‚ with a loss in the semifinals worth US$800‚000. The champions will bank US$4-million and the beaten finalists half as much.

The 2019 World Cup will be the fifth edition of the global one-day showpiece to be staged in England‚ and will comprise 46 games played at 11 grounds around the country.

On Friday‚ bookmakers Ladbrokes listed England as 15/8 favourites to win with India at 3/1.

Odds of 9/2 were offered on an Australia victory — which would be their fifth triumph in the 12 World Cups yet played — with South Africa and New Zealand at 9/1.

South Africa’s squad leaves for England on Sunday and will play warmup games against Sri Lanka and West Indies in Cardiff and Bristol next Friday and on May 28.