Mandla Mashmbyi excited by record ICC prize purse at World Cup

The governing body announced a few days ago that the marquee tournament will see a pot of $13.88 million, or just under R240 million – up almost 300 percent from the 2022 edition in New Zealand. 

Mashimbyi says this shows just how far women’s cricket has come.

"It just shows how important the women's game and how big it has grown for ICC to really up the purse in the manner in which they did," said Mashimbyi.

"And in terms of my players, if you had offered me a job that will pay me three times more than what I'm getting now, I'll probably take it, right? 

"But it's also understanding what is the most important thing – money can be made everyday, but what you bring on the field is just that opportunity you get, so it's just to make sure they're really honed into what they're supposed to do on the day.

"Those things will come, even if we don't get this year, we'll get it next year, so that should not be the thing that governs how we go about our business; yes, it's motivation, and I hope in this sense it's a good motivation."

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Meanwhile, Mashimbyi made it clear that the young players in the World Cup squad deserve their places, and he’s confident they can step up to the plate should they get a chance to play.

"I'm not taking youngsters or players that have just made their debuts, I'm taking players that I feel will have an impact in us actually winning this trophy," he assured.

"And everybody that's in that squad has that responsibility to make sure that, when the opportunity is there, they actually take the bull by the horns and really run with it.

"So, as young as they may seem, they carry something bigger than [their age] in terms of their skill and attitude that they bring within the team environment."