News Desk |
Australian Cricket Board is reported to have increased the salary budget for its women cricketers. The budget has been increased from $7.5 million to $522 million. The impressive decision was taken in a bid to arrest the discrepancies that exist for pay between male and female cricketers.
A senior ICC official Clare Connor, the head of International Women Cricket Council’s committee in an interview insisted that other Cricket Boards should also adopt the same approach so that female cricket can flourish. The disparity in the wage of female cricketers is one of the biggest discouraging factors for women to play this sport.
For Pakistan, the wage issues seem to fall secondary where scratching out a winning combination for the team is an uphill task that is consuming the attention of the board these days
She identified that insufficient wages and lower remuneration have often pushed the female cricketers to shun their career in sports. Instead, they are then forced to join either other sports or completely change their field.
“We are all going to think very seriously of how well our players are remunerated,” she said. “Because if we don’t look after them they will go and choose other sports or other professions and that will be a tragedy.
Read more: Is it high time for international cricket to return to Pakistan?
Prospects for female cricket
The changes introduced by Australian Cricket Board has opened the possibility for women players to earn as up to AUD$85,000 a year. India, which has the world’s richest cricketing board, is yet to fulfill its promise of wage increases for its female cricketers. The matter is now being thoroughly discussed in ICC after the sky-rocketing popularity of recent ICC women world cup which was played in England this year.
The matter is now being thoroughly discussed in ICC after the sky-rocketing popularity of recent ICC women world cup which was played in England this year
Each game that was played in the ICC Women world cup attracted a lot of media attention. Stadiums were full and games recorded high TV ratings around the globe. It was considered a ground-breaking achievement for womens’ cricket. And has helped to divert the attention of big sponsors to women cricket.
Read more: Women take over the ICC stage
Where does Pakistan stand?
India is currently paying its A-category female players around $1875 per month which makes up to $22,500 or Rs 15 lakhs per year. While Pakistan is paying its A-category female players $1000 per year which is near to Rs 12 lakhs.
A senior ICC official Clare Connor, the head of International Women Cricket Council’s committee in an interview insisted upon other Cricket Boards to adopt the same approach so that female cricket could flourish
Pakistan when compared with India, Australia, and England, seems to be treating its women players as amateurs rather than professionals. For Pakistan, the wage issues seem to fall secondary where scratching out a winning combination for the team is an uphill task that is consuming the attention of the board these days.
Read more: Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan; but from now on, ‘Humaray Dum Se’
While India has already found its robust captain in the form of Mithali Raj, replacement of Sana Mir by Bisma Maroof is a critical decision. The board, however, needs to get done with its basic structural problems before it could address the issue of wage differences.