The Black Caps squad may have won over a million dollars in prize money from their performances at the T20 World Cup in Dubai, but missed out on a million more with their loss this morning.

Just by making the final of the T20 World Cup, the Black Caps were guaranteed a purse of NZ$1.14m. Add to that another $57,000 per victory in the tournament - of which they had five - and the team has collected $1.425m to split between team members.

For three weeks work in the UAE, it promises to be a sweet reward for a team that's been on the road for much of 2021, with another three weeks in India to come.

However, as if this morning's eight-wicket defeat wasn't injury enough, the insult lies in the prize money the team missed out on: another $1.14m, which would have almost doubled the team's prize purse.

Consolation lies in the fact that 2021 has been a bumper year for the Black Caps after the side also reaped rich reward for its triumph in the World Test Championship final.

By beating India in the one-off test in England in June, the team shared a prize of $2.24m, meaning their total prize money in tournaments for the year is well in excess of $3m.

This means that players like Jamieson, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, who played in both major tournament finals, as well as appearing in India's money-laden IPL, have truly made the most of a challenging sporting year during a global pandemic.