Equal Prize Money Announced for Men’s and Women’s Teams at ICC Events

In what comes as a path-breaking announcement, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed equal prize money for men’s and women’s teams at ICC events. The decision was made at the ICC Annual Conference held in Durban on Thursday to achieve prize money parity by 2030. Then men’s and women’s teams will now receive equal prize money for finishing in similar positions at comparable events as well as the same amount for winning a match.

“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,” said ICC Chairman Greg Barclay said.

IND vs WI Live Score 1st Test Day 2

“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 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will carry the same prize money as winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the same for T20 World Cups and U19s too.

“Cricket is genuinely a sport for all and this decision from the ICC Board reinforces that and enables us to celebrate and value every single player’s contribution to the game equally,” he added.

According to the ICC release, the winners and runners-up at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 and 2023 received $1 million and $500,000 respectively, which was five times the amount offered in 2018. The prize money for the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, rose to $3.5m from the $2m that was awarded for winning the 2017 edition in England.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah acknowledges

BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who also heads ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee, took to Twitter and called it the beginning of an era of equality and empowerment.

“I am thrilled to announce that a major step towards gender parity & inclusivity has been undertaken. The prize money at all @ICC events will be the same for men & women. Together we grow.

“I thank the fellow Board members for their support in helping achieve this important endeavour. Let’s work towards a future where cricket continues to thrive across the globe,” Shah tweeted.

Modifications to over-rate sanctions in Tests

The Chief Executives’ Committee has endorsed modifications to the over-rate sanctions in Test cricket to strike a balance between the imperative of maintaining over-rates and ensuring fair remuneration for players.

Under the revised regulations, players will be subjected to a fine equivalent to 5% of their match fee for every over that falls short, with a maximum penalty capped at 50%. Notably, if a team gets bowled out prior to reaching the 80-over mark and the new ball is not yet due, no over-rate penalty will be imposed, regardless of any potential delays. This amendment supersedes the existing threshold of 60 overs.

“The ICC World Test Championship has injected renewed energy into Test cricket giving it compelling context,” ICC Men’s Cricket Committee Chair Sourav Ganguly said.

“In the last edition, we only had 12 draws in 69 matches, and we want to ensure that trend continues whilst we’re giving fans the best value for money and keeping over-rates up.

“The Men’s Cricket Committee felt strongly that over-rate penalties in the form of WTC points deductions should remain but recommended that players should not have 100% of their match fee at risk. We believe this provides a balance between maintaining over-rates and ensuring we are not deterring players from playing Test cricket,” he added,