Cricket Australia has proposed a record breaking payment hike for both men and women international players as for the former, the hike is doubled whereas for men, they’ve been given an increase of 30%. In a bid to end the ongoing dispute with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), CA has put up “gender equity at its heart” formula on table.
During Cricket Australia’s announcement on Tuesday (March 21), the board revealed rise in the financial stature is recommended for both genders. Now, the average wage of a top Australian female cricketer would immediately jump from (AUD) $80,000 to $179,000 annually under a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), if accepted by the ACA.
Also for men, the rise would be significant in the new five-year deal until 2021/22. The male players, who were initially pocketing (AUD) $703,000, would now be handed approximately $816,000 with the expected average income, including the Big Bash League (BBL) payments to be $1.45 million by then.
Not to forget the payments of domestic players, a much required increase of 18% in five years time is also on the cards. From a number reading $199,000, the equation would change to $235,000. For grassroot cricketers, funding would go up to $76 million and total player payments is likely to be increased up to $108 million.
James Sutherland, chief executive of CA, said the proposal is landmark. He said, ‘It’s a really significant step for our sport. It is truly a historic development which allows us to say with confidence that cricket is a sport for all Australians.’
Earlier, the players were unhappy with the board’s financial model and pushed it to increase their wages. Though, the MOU signed will be shortly lived as it’ll expire in June, right after the end of Champions Trophy in England.