England Women's national team cricketers will now be paid the same match fees as their male counterparts, marking a significant advancement. Notably, the increase in match payments will become effective with England's first T20I match against Sri Lanka, which is set to start on Thursday, August 31.
It is noteworthy that during the seven Ashes matches, the women's national team drew a record-breaking crowd of more than 110,000 spectators. According to a report, the multi-format Ashes series broke attendance records, including the sold-out ODI series, with a total increase in ticket sales of more than 200% since 2019.
The apex body formerly compensated female cricket players 20.6% of what their male counterparts received in compensation. The captain of the England Women, Heather Knight, expressed her satisfaction with the ECB's decision and said it will help the game expand.
"It's really important that we continue to drive the women's game forward and it's fantastic to see equal match fees for England Women and England Men. 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,” Heather Knight was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"And I'm sure this will make cricket an increasingly attractive sport to girls and young women as we continue to grow the game. I would also like to thank the PCA and England Women's Player Partnership for their support in representing the players and the growth of the professional game,” she added.
The ECB has also established goals for achieving pay equality for domestic level by 2029 and for international level by 2030. In the meantime, Heather Knight and company will begin their three T20Is and as many ODIs versus Sri Lanka multi-format series.
