
England women cricketers are set to receive equal match fees as their male counterparts, starting as soon as Friday, September 1 T20I against Sri Lanka. The move, recommended by Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report earlier this year, comes after the recently-concluded women's Ashes saw record crowds.
The multi-format Women's Ashes in June-July this year set new records at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord's as well. The series also witnessed first ever sold-out women's ODI series and an increase of 200% in ticket sales from 2019. The series, during which one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is were played, saw the crowds of 110,000 - a new high in women's cricket.
The ICEC reports says that England women cricketers get about 20.6 percent match fee of what their male counterparts gets. The England Cricket Board, however, pegs the number at around 30%.
Speaking on the historic move, England skipper Heather Knight said, "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, 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.
ECB's chief executive officer, Richard Gould, said, "This summer's thrilling Metro Bank Women's Ashes series demonstrated how women's cricket is continuing to grow at pace in this country, with record attendances and TV viewing. Growing the women's and girls' game is a key priority for us, and in recent years we have considerably increased investment both in building a domestic women's structure to produce the players of the future, and in increasing player rewards."
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