ICC to offer equal prize money to men and women

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) announced last Thursday (14) that it will distribute equal prize money to men’s and women’s teams from now on at its events.

In a statement, the governing body said teams at events such as the T20 and ODI World Cups will receive equal prize money for both their finishing position in the tournament and winning a match at the events.

“This is a significant moment in the history of our sport,” said ICC chair Greg Barclay. “I am delighted that men’s and women’s cricketers competing at ICC global events will now be rewarded equally.”

Prize money at the last men’s 50-over World Cup in 2019 was $10 million (£7.6m), nearly three times the $3.5m (£2.7m) on offer at the 2022 women’s World Cup.

Barclay added: “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.”

The BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] secretary, Jay Shah, played an active role as the head of Financial & Commercial Affairs Committee (F&CA) in formulating the policy, having done the same in his own board last year. “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,” he said.

Recently, football’s governing body FIFA has come under fire for not introducing equal prize money at its World Cups.

The $152m (£116.6m) in prize money and player participation fees on offer at the upcoming women’s football World Cup is still a fraction of the $440m (£337m) handed out to national associations at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The ICC, meanwhile, also announced that each of its members will also receive substantial increases in funding, thanks to the implementation of a strategic investment fund dedicated to promoting global growth initiatives aligned with the ICC Global Growth Strategy.

“The success of our media rights and commercial programme for our next fouryear cycle means we are able to invest more money than ever before into our sport,” Barclay said. “All members will receive a base distribution and additional revenue will be in relation to contribution to the global game both on and off the field. It’s a once-in-ageneration opportunity for our members to accelerate growth and engage more players and fans and drive competitiveness”.