In a landmark development, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced equal pay for men and women cricketers. The five-year deal will see the men and women cricketers of New Zealand, including international and domestic players, receive the same pay for the same work across formats and competitions.
It is known that the NZC, NZCPA (New Zealand Cricket Players Association) and six Major Associations worked together to achieve the goal of equal pay for men and women cricketers, seeking advice from Yolanda Beattie, who is a gender pay expert. The total remuneration for men’s and women’s professional players includes retainers, match fees, Trust IP payments, retirement fund contributions and insurance.
Save the date – it’s a landmark move in women’s cricket and New Zealand are leading the charge 👏👏#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/0vHAu8dryi
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 5, 2022
At present, the professional men and women cricketers in New Zealand receive 29.75% of all NZC forecast revenue over five years ($349m) which is expected to be $104m. The highest-ranked women players, also known as White Ferns, would earn a maximum of $163,246 per annum, which is almost a 96% rise from the previous earning of $83,432. Similarly, the top-ranked women’s domestic players in each Major Association would earn a maximum of $19,146, which is more than 450% increase from the previous pay of $3,423.
Apart from this, the total number of domestic women players to get contracts have increased to 72 from 54. Additionally, the number of domestic women’s annual contracts will be increased from nine to 12 per team.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine expressed her happiness over the developments in the new Master Agreement. Devine said, “The agreement is a game-changer for women’s cricket. It’s great for the international and domestic women players to be recognised in the same agreement, alongside the men. It’s a massive step forward and will be a huge drawcard for young women and girls.”
Match fees for New Zealand cricketers
| Format | Men | Women |
| Tests | $10,250 | $10,250 |
| ODIs | $4000 | $4000 |
| T20Is | $2500 | $2500 |
| Plunket Shield | $1750 | – |
| Domestic One-Dayers | $800 | $800 |
| Domestic T20s | $575 | $575 |
All amounts in New Zealand Dollars
The quotes are sourced from New Zealand Herald
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I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.