The Cricket Governing Body issued a massive update on Thursday (July 13), which represents a significant step towards gender equality. Going forward, men’s and women’s teams will receive equal prize money in major international tournaments. The decision was taken at the governing body’s Annual Conference in Durban, South Africa.
In an official statement, governing body chairman Greg Barclay said the introduction of equal prize money marks a significant moment in cricket history. “This is a significant moment in the history of our sport and I am delighted that men’s and women’s cricketers competing at major global events will now be rewarded equally,” Barclay said.
The chairman further pointed out that the prize money for women’s players at major tournaments has been increased since 2017, and that the body has now met its objective to achieve prize money parity by 2030 far ahead of schedule. The change will also apply to Under-19 tournaments.
“Since 2017 we have increased prize money at women’s events every year with a clear focus on reaching equal prize money and from here on in, winning the Women’s Cricket World Cup will carry the same prize money as winning the Men’s Cricket World Cup and the same for T20 World Cups and U19s too,” Barclay said.
“Cricket is genuinely a sport for all and this decision from the Cricket Governing Body Board reinforces that and enables us to celebrate and value every single player’s contribution to the game equally,” he added.
We are able to invest more money than ever before: Barclay
The chairman further revealed that with the success of media rights and commercial programs for the next cycle, they will be able to invest more money in the sport than ever before. All governing body member nations will also receive a base distribution and then additional revenue.
“The success of our media rights and commercial programme for our next four-year cycle means we are able to invest more money than ever before into our sport,” Barclay said.
“All Members will receive a base distribution and then additional revenue will be in relation to contribution to the global game both on and off the field. This is by far the largest level of investment ever to go into cricket and it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our Members to accelerate growth and engage more players and fans and drive competitiveness,” he added.
