Ashraf Ali Siddiqui talks about a first-class example of fairplay
Salaries For Female Cricketers – Australia’s women cricketers secured a huge pay increase with the top contracted player on course to earn more than Aus$1 million ($666,000) a year. Payments for professional women will rise 66 per cent under a new five-year deal between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association. They will share in a pool worth Aus$133 million up from Aus$80 million in the previous agreement rewarding not only members of Australia’s world champion team but significantly increasing the value of Big Bash League (WBBL) and state contracts. The deal specifies that the top CA contract holder who also has a WBBL contract — believed to be national captain Meg Lanning — could now earn more than
Aus$800,000 a year. The next six contracted players will earn an average of Aus$500,000.
Those who do not play for Australia but compete in the Women’s National Cricket League and WBBL will be paid more than Aus$151,000 annually. This increase represents another major step forward in the rise of women’s cricket. There are significant increases in remuneration for the inspirational role models of the world champion Australian women’s team and the WBBL who are driving substantial growth in female participation. Cricket now clearly offers the best earning opportunities of any team sport for elite female sportspeople.
The deal will also see the number of CA men’s contracts increase from 17-20 to 20-24, recognising the number of players now selected across various formats. The value of those contracts will increase 7.5 per cent in the first year and 2 per cent thereafter to an average Aus$951,000 plus match payments in 2023-24.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the players’ association signed a five-year deal that will see male and female cricketers receive equal pay. The agreement will see women’s players at both international and domestic level receive the same match fees as men across all formats and competitions. Under the agreement, the number of women’s domestic contracts will increase to 72 from 54 while the men will earn higher retainers due to the greater number of matches played, formats contested and time spent training and playing.
India’s men’s and women’s national cricket teams will be paid the same appearance fee to represent their country, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced and mentioned that BCCI is implementing pay equity policy for contracted women cricketers. The match fee for both men and women cricketers will be same as the game moves into a new era of gender equality in Indian cricket as the BCCI women cricketers will be paid the same match fee as their male counterparts. Women’s cricketers would be paid the same fees as their male counterparts — 1,500,000 Indian rupees ($18,225) for tests, 600,000 INR for one-day internationals and 300,000 INR for Twenty20 internationals.
The Pakistani Cricket Board has been making some moves as well. Last year, it introduced paid maternity leaves lasting up to 12 months for its female cricketers. It comes as part of their Parental Support Policy which is intended to motivate and support athletes in their journey to parenthood, through pregnancy and after birth, accommodating both male and female athletes under its contracts. Captain of the Pakistani team Bismah Maroof announced her maternity leave last year and has only received support as she balances her career with motherhood. However it was reported that Pakistani female cricketers are parleying with PCB to bridge the significant gap between male and female players’ pay. It has been learnt that while male cricketers in Pakistan make nearly $77,000 per annum, women only make $12,000. The Weekender
Ashraf Ali Siddiqi is with
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