The top Australian women's cricketers could make more than A$1 million ($666,600) per year, according to a statement made by Cricket Australia (CA) on Monday. The Australian women's cricket team now has a new five-year pay structure that will boost their earnings in the Women's Premier League of India and The Hundred in England. According to the agreement, the women cricketers who hold top-tier contracts and participate in the Women's Big Bash League will be able to make A$800,000 annually and will also see a headline funding increase of 66%. In a news release, CA's chief executive, Nick Hockley, expressed his joy at taking this significant step that gives women a lot of possibilities in all sports-related fields.
A Memorandum of Understanding between the CA and the Australian Cricketer's Association (ACA) raised the minimum and average CA contracts for women by 25%. The contracts and retainers will be guaranteed during the players' parental leave, and additional payments will be made to cover the costs of lost matches. The number of central contracts for men has risen from 20 to 24 annually to reflect the number of players needed for international matches in all three formats. As more lucrative Twenty20 tournaments are hosted around the world, Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) has seen its prize money rise from A$2 million to A$3 million.
In the press release, Nick also stated that they are optimistic that the BBL will continue to be fiercely competitive despite the changing nature of international cricket. He referred to the "constructive spirit of partnership" in which talks with the ACA were conducted as a stark contrast to the heated talks that occurred for the previous agreement in 2017. The CA was required to put an end to the revenue-sharing model that had sustained the agreement with the players for 20 years. Players will share A$634 million total over the next five years, with a separate pool of A$57 million set aside for performance-related payments.
