EQUAL PAY

After Cricket West Indies’ regional body announced the signing of a four-year Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU), which is geared towards promoting gender pay equality within the game by 2027, West Indies Women’s Captain Hayley Matthews applauded CWI for its “commitment to the women’s game.”

A CWI release said the MOU has a plan to “achieve parity in international and regional match fees, international captain’s allowances, international team prize money and regional individual prize money for all West Indies cricketers by Oct. 1, 2027.”

The MOU is for Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2027. Some provisions in the MOU agreed upon include: increased team prize money throughout the regional set-up, new individual player rewards and increases for international and regional men’s match fees, effective Oct. 1, 2023, increased international and regional match fees and ICC Tournament fees for all women’s cricketers, to achieve parity by Oct. 1, 2027.

CWI and WIPA have also committed to work effortlessly on reviewing and updating player related policies including CWI Fitness & Conditioning Plan and Policy, CWI Science & Medicine Policy, CWI Selection Policy and CWI NOC Policy.

Women’s international contracts will also be aligned with the performance grading system which has been implemented for the men’s game, with CWI also planning to enhance the current selection policy and selection system.

“This is an opportunity for the girls to make a better living for themselves. At the same time, they have to invest in themselves and their game as well,” said Matthews, who was named as the 2023 ICC Women’s Twenty20 International Player of the Year.

“What CWI have done or what they have been able to put forward definitely shows their commitment to the women’s game. I think all the girls within the camp are happy with the increases we have had.”

Last October, CWI launched the inaugural West Indies women’s academy in Antigua and also announced an increase in prize money for the women’s and T20 Blaze tournaments, with this year’s winners set to receive US$20,000 and US$10,000 respectively. The championship prize is also expected to increase annually over the next four years.

CWI President Kishore Shallow said the game is evolving and he acknowledged CWI and WIPA must come to an understanding with players on their participation in franchise leagues.