June 15, 1999. Copyright, 1999, Graphic News. All rights reserved

CRICKET WORLD CUP SCORES NEW TROPHY

LONDON, June 15, Graphic News: THE 1999 Cricket World Cup champions will bat their way into history with a lavish new trophy and prize money of US$1 million Ð unrivalled in the history of the competition.
The winners will receive an identical replica of the competitionÕs first permanent trophy, worth more than £27,000, and stand to pocket US$300,000. 
The 60cm tall, silver and gilt trophy, designed and manufactured in London by Garrard, the Crown Jewellers, weighs a mere 11 kilos (24lbs).
It sports a golden globe in the form of a stylised cricket ball, supported by three columns in the form of stumps and bails.
The columns are designed to represent the three key elements of the game: batting, bowling and fielding. 
There are 16 inscription plates at the base of the trophy, six of which bear the names of the previous World Cup winners. The replicas differ from the original in that they will have only one plate Ð inscribed with the name of the new champions, to be retained in their trophy cabinet in perpetuity.
The 1999 Cricket World Cup is the fourth to be held in England since the inaugural tournament in 1975 but, though England has reached the Final three times, the hosts have yet to win the prestigious championship.
Around two billion people in 120 countries have watched the World Cup coverage on television, while around 500,000 are estimated to have attended the matches this summer.
/ENDS.

Sources: Cricket World Cup, LordÕs