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 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.

The prize money for the award was USD 5,000 or Rs. 4.15 lakh. Earlier on Sunday, the ACC and SLC had also announced a USD 50,000 (Rs. 41.54 lakh), 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 worked round the clock to ensure the Asia Cup went ahead as per schedule at a time when the region experienced torrential rains. ACC was thinking of shifting the tourney out of Colombo but opted to stay put. After India-Pak match was washed off due to rain in Kandy during the group stage, the Board added a reserve day for the final.