In a historic move, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that men’s and women’s teams participating in ICC events will now receive equal prize money. The decision was made during the ICC’s annual conference held in Durban. ICC Chairman Greg Barclay expressed his delight at this development, stating, “This is a significant moment in the history of our sport and I am delighted that men’s and women’s cricketers competing at ICC global events will now be rewarded equally.” He further highlighted the ICC’s commitment to achieving gender pay equality, stating, “Since 2017 we have increased prize money at women’s events every year with a clear focus on reaching equal prize money.”
Under this new policy, the prize money for winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, as well as the Twenty20 World Cups and Under-19s, will be the same. Previously, there had been a stark disparity in prize money distribution. For instance, in the women’s Twenty20 World Cup held earlier this year, Australia claimed the championship and received $1 million in prize money, while runners-up South Africa received only $500,000. In contrast, the England men’s team received $1.6 million as winners of the men’s T20 World Cup in November of the previous year, with losing finalists Pakistan taking home $800,000.
This move by the ICC marks a significant step towards gender equality in cricket, ensuring that male and female players are recognized and rewarded equally for their achievements on the global stage.
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