Satterthwaite: More work needed on pay parity
Asked the question, Amy Satterthwaite couldn’t let the opportunity slip.
The White Ferns captain leads her side into a double-header series against India, starting with the first women’s one-day international in Napier today, with pay parity in cricket a hot topic.
Satterthwaite is just back from Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League with team-mates Lea Tahuhu, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine, who are among 15 to receive an annual retainer from New Zealand Cricket, but were allowed to bypass the amateur women’s Twenty20 Super Smash to boost their earnings across the Tasman.
Devine returned to help Wellington Blaze win the title over Canterbury Magicians on Sunday, when the women received no match fee or prizemoney from the televised final, while the men each collected their standard $575 fee from the early match of the double-header.
This week the Black Caps men will each receive a $4000 match fee for the ODIs against India, while the White Ferns collect $420 apiece. In the upcoming three T20 double-headers, the men will receive $2500 and the women $310.
Is the pay gap in cricket fair? ‘‘It’s obvious, the numbers are there. We don’t need to say too much about it. It’s the way it is. There’s lots of things about the game that need to continue to grow and develop,’’ Satterthwaite said.
‘‘We’re seeing that in other countries and it’s the reality of the women’s game. Other countries have done things in different stages and we’re having to continue to develop.
‘‘We’re going in the right direction, that’s the main thing, and we’ve got to keep doing that and keep pushing it as much as we can so that we’re improving and growing, and competing with the rest of the world.’’
Negotiations are under way for a new women’s cricket Master Agreement. At Sunday’s final, NZC board member Ingrid Cronin-Knight said viewership of 44,000 for the T20 match between the Blaze and Magicians on January 6 was the highest of the regular season televised games, men or women.
Satterthwaite said this was a significant series to showcase the White Ferns to the country and further promote the women’s game. That comes with some pressure, given the side’s continued struggles in big overseas tournaments, when they bowed out of the Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean with defeats to India and eventual champions Australia.
Back home they should be hard to beat, although India are a fast improving side including one of the game’s batting stars Harmanpreet Kaur, who destroyed the White Ferns at the World T20. India are ranked third to New Zealand’s fourth in women’s ODI cricket.
‘‘We’re in a positive space and had a lot of girls playing some really good cricket and in good form,’’ Satterthwaite said.
India’s pay gap between their men and women is unknown, but for all that, visiting skipper Mithali Raj is just happy to be back playing after recent off-field dramas. She was dropped for the World T20 semifinal by thencoach Ramesh Powar, a decision supported by Kaur, which caused major friction in the team and had a very public airing.
‘‘What has happened has happened and we should move on.’’
At a glance
New Zealand v India, first women’s ODI at McLean Park, Napier, 2pm, today:
New Zealand (from): Amy Satterthwaite (captain), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu. India (from): Mithali Raj (captain), Taniya Bhatia, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Mona Meshram, Shikha Pandey, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav.