A landmark pay hike for women cricketers

THE International Cricket Council’s announcement of a record $13.88 million prize pool for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup marks a watershed moment in the journey towards gender pay parity in sports. The winner will walk away with $4.48 million, surpassing even the men’s 2023 World Cup prize. For women’s cricket — long treated as a sideshow — this is both vindication and validation. India has already taken bold steps by introducing equal match fees for men and women cricketers in 2022. The move was hailed worldwide as a benchmark in progressive sporting governance. Pakistan, too, recently hiked central contracts for its women cricketers. The momentum is unmistakable: women athletes are no longer willing to accept second-class status.

This fight is not new. Tennis champion Billie Jean King’s stand in the 1970s compelled the US Open to become the first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money to men and women. Serena Williams, Venus Williams and others carried that torch, forcing Wimbledon to follow suit in 2007. In football, the US women’s national team secured a landmark settlement in 2022 ensuring equal pay with their male counterparts after years of legal battles. Cricket, with its entrenched male dominance, has been slower to adapt. The ICC’s latest move signals a long overdue course correction. While prize hikes are welcome, the deeper challenge remains — building robust domestic ecosystems, securing sponsorships and ensuring grassroots access for young girls.

Gender parity in pay is not charity; it is recognition of equal sweat, skill and sacrifice. The ICC’s decision should inspire other federations still dragging their feet. In sport, as in society, equality delayed is opportunity denied. India must now extend its leadership beyond cricket and show the way in other sports too, ensuring gender pay parity across the board.

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