The England and Wales Cricket Board stated on Wednesday that England’s female cricket players will get the same match money as their male counterparts.
England’s women cricketers awarded: The wage rise, which follows actions of a similar nature in New Zealand and India, will go into effect right away, starting with the commencement of the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report from June stated that “women receive an embarrassingly small amount compared to men” and urged the adjustment.
The research indicated that the England women’s team received match fees at a rate of 25% for white-ball matches, while the men’s side received only 15% for Test matches.
ECB CEO Richard Gould hailed the recent “thrilling” Ashes series against Australia as evidence of the rising popularity of the women’s game. The series drew record-breaking crowds.
“We all want cricket to be the team sport of choice for female athletes, and — with the investments we are making and increasingly lucrative opportunities around the world — we are seeing cricketers become some of the highest-earning female athletes in UK team sports,” he said.
However, “as we ultimately strive for equality across the game, we know there is still much further to go.”
After the multi-format series concluded in a tie, Australia kept the Ashes.
The equalisation of match fees was praised by England captain Heather Knight as “fantastic to see”.
“The direction of travel for the women’s game has always been the most important thing, creating a sustainable product that people want to watch and play, and I’m sure this will make cricket an increasingly attractive sport to girls and young women as we continue to grow the game,” she continued.