England Women are to earn the same match fees as the men’s side from now on, the ECB has announced.
The increase, which comes in the wake of England Women’s thrilling tied Ashes series against Australia, comes into effect immediately, starting with the T20I series against Sri Lanka which gets under way this week.
England generated attendance records for women’s internationals during this summer’s Ashes series for their games at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord’s – as well as selling out matches at Taunton, Bristol and the Ageas Bowl.
The ECB has already increased salaries for women’s domestic teams, while pay for players in the Women’s Hundred has more than doubled from last year.
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Friday 1st September 12:00am
England Women’s captain 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.
“The direction of travel for the women’s game has always been the most important thing, 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.”
ECB chief executive Richard Gould added: “Growing the women’s and girls’ game is a key priority for us. In the years ahead, we will continue to invest ahead of revenues.
“We all want cricket to be the team sport of choice for female athletes, and with the investments we are making – and increasingly lucrative opportunities around the world – we are seeing cricketers become some of the highest-earning female athletes in UK team sports.
“However, we know there is still much further to go as we ultimately strive for equality across the game.”
Watch the first England Women’s T20I against Sri Lanka at Hove on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 5.30pm.