The ECB have announced that there will be equal prize money for the men’s and women’s competitions in The Hundred.
There is a £600,000 prize pot for the two eight-team competitions, which start in July, with the money split equally between the men’s and women’s competition.
The base salaries of the men’s tournament (where the player draft had a top bracket of £120,000) dwarf the women’s, but the ECB called this move “a step towards the long-term commitment to making cricket a gender-balanced sport”.
The Hundred launches a new format, with each innings 100 balls long, this summer with new city based teams.
This announcement comes two days before England Women compete in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup against India in Sydney, and captain Heather Knight – who will lead Lord’s-based London Spirit in the Hundred – was excited by the move.
“This is a great announcement for women’s sport,” she said. "Women’s professional cricket is on an exciting journey and whilst, there is still a way to go to realise gender-parity, this move from The Hundred is a significant step in the right direction. We’re all really excited about playing in the new competition and hopefully inspiring more young girls and boys to pick up a bat and ball.”
There will be both standalone matches in the women’s competition, as well as double headers with men’s games.
