Johannesburg
South Africa has joined the ranks of countries providing equal pay to male and female cricketers, as they announced that both genders would receive the same match fees for international matches. This move by the Proteas follows in the footsteps of New Zealand and India, who have previously implemented pay parity across genders. It is also in line with the landmark announcement made by the ICC earlier this year, ensuring equal prize money for men’s and women’s teams at ICC events. Prominent figures from the world of cricket in South Africa convened in Tshwane to unveil an updated structure for their domestic women’s competition and to confirm equal pay for male and female players at the international level. The changes to match fees for South Africa’s women’s cricketers will take effect next month when they embark on a six-match white-ball tour to Pakistan. This significant development comes after a highly successful 18 months for South Africa’s national women’s team, which reached the semifinals of the Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in 2022 and made it to the final while hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year. Under this new arrangement, women’s international players will receive the same match fees as their male counterparts, and the women’s domestic leagues will become professional. The revamped domestic structure is built upon the existing two-tier setup with 16 teams, consisting of a top six and a bottom ten. The bottom ten teams will be further divided into two groups of five each, featuring a promotion-relegation system. The top six teams will be permitted to contract up to 11 players, an increase from the previous limit of six. Additionally, they can expand their coaching and support staff. The top six teams will compete in both 50-over and 20-over formats, with the shorter-format matches potentially scheduled on the same days as the men’s competitions to enhance visibility.
