In an announcement made by the English Cricket Board, the players who are taking part in the Women’s Hundred in 2020 will now have the option to roll over their contracts for the next year i.e 2021.
Amidst the rise of a global pandemic, the Women’s Hundred along with men’s was called off this year and the new 100-ball competition is set to get underway next year. In simpler words, the women players can now choose to stay with their current teams and reward themselves with the same deal OR they also have the option to turn their deal down and negotiate their ways into another team from the month of October.
The Head of The Hundred Women’s Competition said that the most vital aspect of entering into the new year and initiating the rebuilding process would be to ensure that women players are protected as best.
Beth Barrett Wild said that “A few options were considered around the re-selection process, and after much consultation, including talking to the PCA and the players themselves, it was unanimously decided that the strongest approach was to implement a rollover mechanism for players who were selected in 2020 to 2021”.
She further added that the new provisions act as an assurance for the female players who have been extremely hit with the lockdown. The developments on this part have already begun and the English seamer Anya Shrubsole has re-signed for the Southern Brave. She says that it was an easy decision for her to make and further, she expects most of the players to remain in their original sides.
In March this year, the English Cricket Board confirmed that The Hundred would offer equal prize money to both men and women. Furthermore, it was stated that the governing body of the competition has committed itself to make a more gender-balanced game.
Shrubsole says that “I guess if you link that with the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and with the retaining contracts that are coming in there, it’s a huge step for professionalizing the women’s game further and having more professional cricketers outside of just the ones who have got the England contracts. So The Hundred was going to be huge for that and I guess it’s also a good reason for rolling over the contracts because it gives people some security”.
There are, however, reservations on the attendance of fans in the ground. Fans and players can hope that further delays and cuts are not introduced as the world matures to tackle the aftermaths of a pandemic.
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