The landscape of professional cricket is evolving as the push for gender equality continues to gain momentum. The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have taken a step in the right direction by equalizing the starting salaries of male and female domestic players.
Beth Barrett-Wild, Director of Women’s Professional Game at the ECB, emphasized the significance of this development, calling it a “positive step forward” for women’s cricket in England and Wales. Over the past nine months, the women’s domestic game has undergone significant structural changes aimed at creating a sustainable and appealing career path for female cricketers.
Barrett-Wild stressed that the focus isn’t just on on-field performance—they’re building a commercially viable product off the field. “It’s vital that our players are compensated fairly, and that cricket becomes not only a viable career for women but an exciting one,” she noted.
The ECB and PCA have a shared vision to make cricket equally appealing to both young girls and boys. “Every decision we make now is focused on ensuring cricket is as attractive a sport for girls as it is for boys. There’s still a lot to do, but today’s news is another major step toward gender equity in the game,” added Barrett-Wild.
From 2025, the minimum starting salaries for men’s and women’s domestic cricket players will be equalised. This change will encompass both ‘Rookie’ contracts, which will be introduced into the women’s game for the first time, serving as a player’s entry-level professional contract, and ‘Senior Pro’ contracts for those who have become regular members of their teams.
Moreover, under the updated women’s domestic cricket structure, the eight First-Class Counties (FCCs) with Tier 1 status will be required to have at least 15 contracted players in their squads and allocate a minimum of £500,000 towards player salaries by 2025. Additionally, a salary cap of £800,000 per year will be enforced for Tier 1 FCCs.
Emma Reid, PCA Director of Player Rights and Women’s Cricket, praised the equal pay initiative but acknowledged there is still more progress to be made. “We are pleased to see equalised minimum salaries across the men’s and women’s game starting in 2025. This is a crucial step toward achieving full parity, and the PCA remains committed to this goal,” said Reid.
This salary equalisation initiative comes after the recent announcement that, starting next season, the women’s and men’s professional white-ball competitions will be unified under the T20 Blast and One Day Cup banners. Significantly, the Oval will host the first-ever Blast Women’s Finals Day on Sunday, July 27, 2025, while the inaugural One Day Cup Women’s Final is set to take place at the Utilita Bowl on Sunday, September 21, 2025.
While there is still work to be done to achieve full parity, these initiatives are vital in providing women in cricket with the same opportunities and recognition as their male counterparts.
(Quotes sourced from ECB Press Release)