Here comes a new encouragement for women cricketers!
In a major boost to the women cricketers, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a whopping 320 percent hike in prize money for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup tournaments.
Under the new pay, winners of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia will get USD 1 million in cash reward, while it is USD 500,000 for the runners-up.
The new hike is five times the amount offered in 2018 edition and that was USD 2 million in 2017.
The prize money for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2021 will increase further to USD 3.5 million.
The Board also informed about the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2021 and announced holding matches every two years later on.
According to ICC Chief Manu Sawhney, the latest announcements are aimed at encouraging women cricket.
” This significant increase in prize money and the introduction of a Women’s U-19 event is part of a much larger effort to grow the women’s game around the world. We want to build a long-term sustainable foundation for women’s cricket and that is about more than just prize money,” ICC said in a release.
ICC added that creating a Women’s U-19 event will pave a way for young cricketers and provides aspiring women cricketers with the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
“Next year it’s our ambition to fill the MCG on International Women’s Day for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020, which would be a world record for a women’s sporting event,” the release added.
The Board also decided the eight-year cycle for men’s and women’s matches starting 2023, comprising of 8 men’s events, 8 women’s events, and 4 U19 events separately under the two categories.
Towards this end, ICC has welcomed all nations willing to host the events, stating that the bidding process will begin early next year for women’s and U19 events.
