England players get significant pay increase

This week it was revealed that there were no women athletes in the top 100 paid sports people. Cricket is well behind in that aspect. There was, however, a glimmer of hope when the England and Wales Cricket Board announced that their women international players were about to get a significant pay increase.

With the success of last year’s ICC Women’s World Cup which England won, the players now enjoy a higher profile than ever before.

Clare Connor, the head of Women’s cricket at the ECB said that “Any increase to a player’s salary is judged on performance and potential. Ten of our contracted squad will be receiving an increase of 50% or more.”

She went on to add “The objective is to get to a situation after 2020 – when the new investment in the game kicks in – whereby the players are paid double what they were paid when they won the World Cup. It’s the direction of travel that’s important.”

This shows that the ECB is serious about investing in the women’s game in England and Wales. With the future of women’s game in limbo at a domestic level.

Connor did offer reassurance in this area by saying “We are also trying to deepen the level of support we can give to counties and players through the appointment of Di Lewis, who came from England Netball, to the role of National Talent Manager. Underneath Di, we have a team of four regional talent managers, which helps us develop more meaningful relationships with counties and regions.”

The overall pay for all players has gone up to 40% with ten players getting performance-related increases of 50% or more. It is hoped that by 2021 that the players will have received a pay increase of double what they were on last year.

Heather Knight, the England captain, was asked about the new pay deal, said “It’s a sign of where the women’s game is at. The increased interest, the increased demands and the increased professionalism that have come in over the last few years. It’s great that the salaries have caught up and it's just rewarding for the girls, for all their hard work and their success. It’s an exciting time to be a women’s cricketer.”