The Hundred 2020: England Cricket Board announces equal split of prize money for men's and women's competition
What's the story?
In a bid to remove the gender pay gap from cricket, the England Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that the prize money for The Hundred will be equally split between the winners of the men's and women's competition. The board stated that the prize money of £600,000 will be divided equally between both the winning sides.
The background
The gender pay gap has been one of the biggest talking points of late, not only in the sporting world but in every professional field. However, the ECB is implementing a new concept along with the birth of a new format in cricket.
The heart of the matter
The head of The Hundred women's competition, Beth Barrett-Wild, expressed her pride on this step taken by the ECB and said:
"We’re really proud of our movement towards making cricket a gender-balanced sport and whilst we’re aware there is more to do in this space, this is an important step in the right direction. It’s recognition for the women’s players and the huge value they bring to The Hundred."
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She further asserted that the England Cricket Board is committed to transform women's cricket, and after this move, they hope to inspire many young girls to pick up a bat for the first time in their lives. The captain of the London Spirit women’s team, Heather Knight, lauded ECB and expressed her views on this development. She said:
"This is a great announcement for women’s sport. Women’s professional cricket is on an exciting journey and whilst, there is still a way to go to realise gender-parity, this move from The Hundred is a significant step in the right direction. We’re all really excited about playing in the new competition and hopefully inspiring more young girls and boys to pick up a bat and ball.”
What's next?
The Hundred will kick off a new era in the world of cricket as the format promises to entertain the fans with some mouth-watering action. The tourney will begin in July 2020.