Fair play

IN a milestone heralding the dawn of pay parity and inclusivity for women players in the world of cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced that the teams of men and women competing in comparable ICC events would be rewarded with equal prize money. That the level playing field has come much earlier than the ICC’s target of achieving it by 2030 is emblematic not only of the recognition of the gritty women’s talent and hard work, but also of the growing popularity of their matches. The batters and bowlers are now, in all fairness, poised to go home with purses as heavy as those of their male counterparts in the ODI and T20 World Cups. More power to the Harmanpreets and their teams worldwide!

Women cricketers have for long been batting for the bridging of the huge pay gulf that has existed between the genders. The emoluments were so low that they failed to attract many gifted girls. But over the past few years, things have changed dramatically. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been gradually loosening its purse strings for them, as also tapping budding cricketers; it expanded their horizons by launching the Women’s Premier League earlier this year. Last year, India became the second country to introduce pay parity for its cricketers, soon after New Zealand did it.

The ICC’s decision assumes significance as sportswomen have been historically short-changed. Betraying chauvinism, organisers have blamed them for lacking star power and not generating enough revenue. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the pioneering moment in 1973 when the US Open — pushed by champion Billie Jean King — became the first Grand Slam tennis tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women. There is still a long way to go before pay parity is achieved in most sports.