ICC announces equal prize money for men and women at global events; Jay Shah calls it 'start of a new dawn'

In a major development, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced equal prize money for both men’s and women’s cricketers at global events.

The ICC made the announcement following the ICC Annual Conference meeting in Durban.

“The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced equal prize money for men’s and women’s teams at ICC events. The decision was taken at the ICC Annual Conference in Durban, South Africa and ensures the ICC Board fulfilled its commitment to reaching prize money equity by 2030 well ahead of schedule,” the ICC said in a statement.

“Teams will now receive equal prize money for the equivalent finishing position at comparable events as well as the same amount for winning a match at those events,” it further stated.

Reacting to the development, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that it was the start of a ‘new dawn’.

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I am thrilled to announce that a major step towards gender parity & inclusivity has been undertaken. The prize money at all @ICC events will be same for men & women. Together we grow.…

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) July 13, 2023

ICC Chair Greg Barclay said: “This is a significant moment in the history of our sport, and I am delighted that men’s and women’s cricketers competing at ICC global events will now be rewarded equally.

“Since 2017 we have increased prize money at women’s events every year with a clear focus on reaching equal prize money and from here on in, winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will carry the same prize money as winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the same for T20 World Cups and U19s too.”

Barclay added, “Cricket is genuinely a sport for all and this decision from the ICC Board reinforces that and enables us to celebrate and value every single player’s contribution to the game equally.”

With inputs from PTI