Melbourne: Australia’s World Cup-winners will be rewarded handsomely in 2003-04 but their pay packets will not rise as much as they had expected, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said on Tuesday.

The ACB and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) released a joint statement to say reductions in World Cup and media rights income meant ACB revenue had not grown as much as expected.

Players receive 25 per cent of the Australian Cricket Revenue (ACR) under the terms of a four-year ACB/ACA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) negotiated in 2001.

Australia’s international players receive 55 per cent of the player pool with state contracted players earning the other 45 per cent. “The player payment pool for 2002-03 is A$ 24 million while the MOU had projected it to be A$26 million and A$28 million in each of the next two financial years,” the statement said.

“The ACB has revised the player payment pool to A$25 million and A$27 million for each of the next two years.”

The ACB/ACA joint statement told players to be patient.

“Hopefully, future ACR estimates can be revised upwards, and if so, the appropriate increases in player payments will be reflected in adjusted payments you will receive,” the statement said.

Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper said on Tuesday Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and one-day captain Ricky Ponting would this year become the first players to receive A$1million annually from the ACB.