The Int'l Cricket Council is "coming under fire on two fronts" at its World Twenty20 event in Sri Lanka, "as the striking gulf between the financial rewards on offer in the men's and women's competitions adds fresh embarrassment" to the chance that both could be disrupted by weather, according to Andy Wilson of the London GUARDIAN. Women's World T20 begins on Wednesday in the city of Galle, as eight teams battle for a winner's check of $60,000, compared to the men's prize of $1M. Additionally, the women receive a "living allowance" of $60 a day, while the men are handed $100. England team captain Charlotte Edwards said, "We're not here for the money, so it really isn't an issue for us. I'd pay to lift that trophy." At a pre-tournament press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka with the other captains from England's group, Edwards "went out of her way to praise the ICC for the support it has given to the women's game," as it is the men's tournament that "attracts big money from sponsors and television companies." Edwards: "To have as many World Cups as we do now, I keep saying women's cricket has come a long way in a short space of time." The ICC has already had to "defend the timing of the tournaments" in a time of year with the weather is traditionally very unpredictable (GUARDIAN, 7/25).
