In a historic move that could change the shape of the cricket fraternity in the West Indies, the country’s cricket board along with the West Indies Players’ Association signed a 4-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to deal to match the pay structure of the men’s team. and the women’s team equalized, the board announced in a press release.
The (MoU) will ostensibly ensure that all West Indies cricketers receive the same amount of fees, whether male or female, during domestic and international matches, the national team captains’ expenses, the prize money of the team and the national individual prize money until October 1, 2027. to start.
It is definitely good news for West Indies cricket and its cricketers who have been dealing with financial problems for a while now. The lack of revenue generation has also seen a handful of players opt to snub international cricket in favor of cash-laden T20 franchise leagues around the world.
People like Brian Lara and Jason Holder among others have appealed to the ICC and the big cricket boards to help them and other countries solve this problem to help and grow the cricket system around the world. The MoU was started on October 1 last year and will last until September-October 2027.
CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow expressed his happiness and gratitude over the matter and termed it as a significant step towards the growth of cricket there.
“This is a historic day for West Indies cricket. As we review compensation structures and align performance grading, we are taking a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and progressive cricket framework. “This step reflects our unwavering commitment to gender equality and recognizes the immense contributions of women players to West Indies cricket.” – said Kishore Shallow.
The CWI president also spoke about his previous decisions in which the women’s national team traveled on business class planes and resided in 5-star hotels during their overseas tours. He further stated that the latest MoU will further improve the West Indies cricket and payment structure.
“In the previous year, we implemented substantial improvements to our travel policy, requiring the West Indies senior women’s team to travel in business class on all extended international flights and to stay in single rooms during international assignments.
This aligns perfectly with the established policy for West Indies senior men’s tours. “Today, with the signing of this MOU, we take another significant step towards reducing the gender gap within our cricket community.”
Key highlights of the partnership between the West Indies and the Players’ Association
The increase in prizes for teams and the introduction of new incentives for individual players mark substantial progress. Starting October 1, 2024, starting eleven players will receive full match rates, while reserves will enjoy 80% of the same.
A noteworthy adjustment is the suspension of advance payments upon issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for participation in a domestic franchise tournament abroad, also effective from October 1, 2024. Another transformative aspect is the potential for Cricket West Indies (CWI) and franchises to award multi-year retention contracts spanning up to three years.
Furthermore, a progressive move towards achieving parity is evident in the increase in international and regional match fees, along with the increase in ICC tournament fees, for all women cricketers. The planned goal is to achieve gender equality by October 1, 2027.
Additionally, a harmonization initiative is underway to align women’s international contracts and men’s regional contracts with the performance rating established for international men’s players. This comprehensive set of changes underlines the commitment to fostering fairness, financial growth and the overall advancement of cricket.