NZC can’t match prizemoney
The White Ferns won’t receive equal prizemoney if they win the ICC World T20 in Australia.
Cricket Australia has pledged to up the money for the Australian women to be equal with that on offer for the men should they win their T20 title later in the year.
But New Zealand Cricket is unable to do the same for the White Ferns.
The winners of the competition – currently being played in Australia and concluding on International Women’s Day – will receive NZ$1.58 million. The runners up will receive NZ$791,000.
The winners of the men’s T20 World Cup – which is also being hosted by Australia this year – will receive NZ$2.5m.
Cricket Australia (CA) will match the men’s prize if their women’s team claim a fifth World T20 title. But no other country will match the offer.
New Zealand Cricket said it won’t be ‘‘replicating CA’s plan’’.
‘‘NZC is pleased to see the continued evolution of the women’s professional game . . .,’’ an NZC spokesperson said. ‘‘We do not have the capacity to replicate Cricket Australia’s initiative.’’
NZC acknowledges the ICC has boosted the prize pool by five times the amount on offer from the 2018 tournament.
It’s also a significant leap from 2013, when the prize pool for the Women’s World T20 was NZ$300,000.
There is also a prizemoney gap in the 50-over format too.
New Zealand will host the 2021 Women’s Cricket World Cup, with a prize pool of NZ$5.5m. This is up from NZ$3.1m in 2017.
The women’s 2021 prizemoney is one third of what the men received at the 2019 World Cup in England.
Last year the ICC said the increases to prizemoney followed a rise in the revenue generated by the women’s game.
The ICC said it boosted prizemoney for women by 360 per cent.
ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said the organisation had a long-term commitment to reaching parity ‘‘as part of a broader plan to grow and develop the women’s game’’.
This also includes the introduction of new development pathways, mainly an international women’s U19 ‘‘event’’.
‘‘We want to build a long-term sustainable foundation for women’s cricket and that is about more than just prizemoney,’’ Sawhney said. ‘‘It is about building a product that fans want to watch, that kids want to take up, that sponsors and broadcasters want to be part of.
‘‘Creating a Women’s U19 event also improves the pathway available to young cricketers and ensures they have the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
‘‘This significant increase in prizemoney and the introduction of a Women’s U19 event is part of a much larger effort to grow the women’s game around the world.’’