Siraj dedicates $5000 Player of the Match prize money to Sri Lankan ground staff after India’s Asia Cup win

India pacer Mohammed Siraj dedicated the prize money after winning the Man of the Match award in the Asia Cup final to the ground staff.

India’s Mohammed Siraj (R) receives the ‘Player of the match’ award at the end of the Asia Cup 2023 one-day international (ODI) final cricket match between India and Sri Lanka. | Photo Credit: AFP

India pacer Mohammed Siraj dedicated the prize money after winning the Player of the Match award in the Asia Cup final to the ground staff of the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

“I think they deserve a lot of credit. The tournament would not have gone ahead without their work,” said Siraj at the post-match presentation.

Kitni baar dil jeetoge, miyan? ♥️

Mohammed Siraj winning on and off the field#AsiaCup | #INDvSL | 📎 https://t.co/e9qkKQZJaIpic.twitter.com/LtKBPup5Zb

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) September 17, 2023

The prize money for the award was USD 5,000 or Rs 4.15 Lakhs. Earlier on Sunday, the ACC and SLC had also announced a USD 50,000, or Rs 41.54 Lakhs, award to the ground staff of Kandy and Colombo.

Siraj was awarded the Man of the Match award in the final for his record spell of 6/21, which included four wickets picked in one over. His figures were the fourth-best by an Indian in One-Day Internationals.

The ground staff at the R Premadasa Stadium worked around the clock to ensure the Asia Cup went ahead as per schedule at a time when the region experienced torrential rains.

The ACC was thinking of shifting the tournament out of Colombo but opted to stay put. After the India-Pakistan match was washd off due to rain in Kandy during the group stage, the board added a reserve day for the final.