England’s women cricketers awarded match fee parity with men

England's women cricketers awarded match fee parity with men0

The England and Wales Cricket Board made the announcement on Wednesday that the country’s female cricket players will be compensated with the same match fees as their male counterparts.

The salary raise, which follows similar initiatives in New Zealand and India, will take immediate effect, commencing with the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, which begins on Thursday. This will be the first major sporting event to be affected by the pay increase.

The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket issued a study in June that suggested the adjustment. The report stated that “women receive an embarrassingly small amount compared to men,” which led to the recommendation.

According to the research, the match fees paid to the England women’s team for white-ball games were just a fourth of what the men’s team received, while the amount for Tests was only 15% of what the men’s team received.

Richard Gould, the chief executive officer of the ECB, stated that the recent “thrilling” Ashes series against Australia, which was seen by crowds that broke records, demonstrated that the popularity of the women’s game is expanding.

“We all want cricket to be the team sport of choice for female athletes,” he added, “and with the investments we are making and the increasingly lucrative opportunities around the world, we are seeing cricketers become some of the highest-earning female athletes in UK team sports.” “We all want cricket to be the team sport of choice for female athletes.”

“However, we are aware that there is still a significant distance to travel as we work toward our ultimate goal of achieving equality across the game.”

The Ashes remained in Australia’s possession following the conclusion of the multi-format series.

The captain of the England team, Heather Knight, remarked that it was “fantastic to see” that match payments were made equal.

“The direction of travel for the women’s game has always been the most important thing,” she said. “Creating a sustainable product that people want to watch and play has always been the most important thing.” “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.

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