Massive hike in women's T20 WC prize fund as ICC announces pay parity

     Dubai, Sep 17 (PTI) In a landmark decision, the International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced equal prize money for men and women in World Cups, starting with next month's women's T20 showpiece, the purse for which has been hiked by a staggering 225 per cent to USD 7.95 million.
     The winners of the women's T20 World Cup will walk away with USD 2.34 million from this fund, a 134 per cent increase on the USD one million awarded to Australian women when they clinched the title in South Africa in 2023, said the ICC in a statement.
     Men's T20 World Cup champions India had received USD 2.45 million in cash prize earlier this year.
     "The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 will be the first ICC event where women will receive the same prize money as their male counterparts, marking a significant milestone in the sport's history," said the ICC.
     The decision ensures that the ICC reached its prize money equity target seven years ahead of its schedule of 2030.
     The runners-up at the showpiece event next month will get USD 1.17 million, an increase of 134 per cent in comparison to the USD 500,000 South Africa received for reaching the final on home soil at Newlands Cricket Ground.
     The two losing semi-finalists will earn USD 675, 000 (up from USD 210 000 in 2023), with the overall prize pot totalling USD 7,958,080, a massive increase of 225 per cent from last year's total fund of USD 2.45 million.
     Each win during the group stages will see teams take home USD 31,154, while the six teams who fail to reach the semi-finals will share a pool of USD 1.35 million depending on their finishing positions.
     In comparison, the equivalent pool for the six teams in 2023 was USD 180,000, shared equally. Teams who finish third or fourth in their group will take USD 270,000 each while the teams who finish fifth in their group will both receive USD 135,000.
     "This move is in line with the ICC's strategy to prioritise the women's game and accelerate its growth by 2032. 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," the ICC added.
     The ninth edition of the tournament will take place across two venues in the UAE -- Dubai and Sharjah -- from October 3 to 20.
     All group matches will be completed before October 15. The semi-finals are scheduled for October 17 and 18, followed by the final on October 20.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)