England Cricket Introduces Equal Starting Salaries for Men and Women

From next year, England will offer equal starting salaries for men and women in professional domestic cricket, as announced by the ECB. This initiative includes new 'Rookie' and 'Senior Pro' levels for women and aims to create a sustainable and attractive career option for female cricketers.

Starting next year, England will provide equal starting salaries for men and women in professional domestic cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Tuesday. The pay parity will cover players at both 'Rookie' and 'Senior Pro' levels.

For the first time, the women's game will include the 'Rookie' level, which serves as a player's initial professional contract, while the 'Senior Pro' level targets established first-team players. The ECB's Professional Game Committee (PGC), comprising representatives from the First-Class County (FCCs), the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), and the ECB, has approved the starting salaries and budget.

The ECB has implemented this pay parity as part of restructuring women's professional cricket, following its earlier announcement aligning men's and women's professional white ball competitions for next season. Beth Barrett-Wild, Director of Women's Professional Game, highlighted that this initiative marks significant progress for women's cricket in England and Wales, ensuring player remuneration reflects the sport's viability as a career option for women.

(With inputs from agencies.)