The International Cricket Council (ICC) said today that both men’s and women’s teams will get the same amount of prize money at ICC games. The ICC Annual Conference was held in Durban, South Africa, where the decision was made. This means that the ICC Board met its promise to reach prize money equality by 2030 well ahead of schedule.
Teams will now get the same amount of prize money if they finish in the same place at similar events and if they win a match at those events.
Greg Barclay, the head of the ICC, said, “This is a big moment in the history of our sport, and I’m thrilled that men’s and women’s cricketers who compete at ICC global events will now get the same amount of money.”
“Since 2017, we’ve been increasing prize money at women’s events every year with the goal of reaching equal prize money. From now on, winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will be worth the same as winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The same goes for T20 World Cups and U19s.
“Cricket really is a sport for everyone, and this decision from the ICC Board shows that and lets us celebrate and value the contributions of every player in the same way.”
After the sharing plan for the next four years was agreed upon, the ICC Board also approved the sport’s biggest investment ever. Every ICC Member will get a lot more money, and a strategic investment fund will be set up to drive global growth projects in line with the ICC’s Global Growth Strategy.
Greg Barclay, the head of the ICC, said, “The success of our media rights and commercial program for our next four-year cycle means we can put more money into our sport than ever before.”
“All Members will get a base share, and then their contributions to the global game, both on and off the field, will determine how much more money they get. This is by far the most money that has ever been put into cricket, and it’s a chance for our Members to speed up growth, bring in more players and fans, and make the sport more competitive.
“I’m glad that the board has also agreed to a strategic investment fund, which will help move our Global Growth Strategy forward faster.”
The ICC Board also passed changes to the ICC Sanctioning Regulations. These changes are meant to help all Members produce stable income streams and improve the game while keeping the sport’s ethics and the players’ safety in mind.
As time goes on, new events that need a permit will have to make sure that each team’s starting XI includes at least seven local or Associate Member players to help the game grow. A support fee will also be paid from the organizing Member to the Home Board of a player. This is to show how much the organizing Member helped grow and promote the sport around the world.
The Chief Executives’ Committee accepted changes to the penalties for over-rates in Test cricket to make sure that over-rates are still kept and that players are paid enough. So, each over short will cost a person 5% of their match fee, up to a maximum of 50% of their match fee. If a team is out before the new ball is due at 80 overs, even if the over rate is slow, there will be no over-rate punishment. This takes the place of the standard 60-over limit.