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The England Women’s Cricket Team Achieves Pay Parity with Men
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Wednesday that England’s women cricketers will be receiving the same match fees as their male counterparts, following similar moves in New Zealand and India. This pay increase will be implemented immediately, starting with the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, which begins on Thursday.
Pay Parity for Female Cricketers
The decision to grant pay parity to the England women’s cricket team was recommended by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket’s report in June. The report highlighted the significant pay disparity between male and female cricketers, stating that women received an embarrassingly small amount compared to men.
The report further revealed that match fees for the England women’s team were only a quarter of those paid to the men’s team for white-ball games, with the figure dropping to just 15 percent for Tests.
Recognition of Women’s Cricket’s Growing Popularity
Richard Gould, ECB’s chief executive officer, acknowledged the growing popularity of the women’s game, citing the recent “thrilling” Ashes series against Australia, which attracted record-breaking crowds. He stated that the investments being made in women’s cricket and the increasing lucrative opportunities around the world have enabled cricketers to become some of the highest-earning female athletes in UK team sports.
Gould also emphasized that despite the progress made, there is still a long way to go in achieving equality across the game of cricket.
Positive Impact on Women’s Cricket
The Ashes multi-format series between England and Australia ended in a draw, with Australia retaining the trophy. England captain Heather Knight expressed her enthusiasm for the equalization of match fees, describing it as fantastic. She believes that this significant step towards pay parity will contribute to the continuous growth of the women’s game, making cricket increasingly attractive to girls and young women.