Australian female players get funding boost with new pay deal

Adelaide Strikers won the 2022 Women's Big Bash

Leading Australian female players are set to be the main beneficiaries of a new five-year deal between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association.

All male and female professionals will share a projected A$634m (£344m) over the next five years, a 26% increase on the existing agreement.

Women will be paid from a A$133m (£72.1m) pool - up from A$80m (£43.1m).

A player who holds a top-tier contract and also plays in the Women's Big Bash League is now able to earn A$800,000 (£434,000) a year, an increase of 66%.

But leading players could earn more than A$1m (£525,000) if they also play in India's Women's Premier League (WPL) and The Hundred.

"I am particularly pleased this represents another major step forward in the rise of women's cricket," said CA chief executive Nick Hockley.

"Cricket now clearly offers the best earning opportunities of any team sport for elite female sportspeople."

The contracts and retainers will be guaranteed while players are on parental leave and further payments will be offered to help make up for lost match fees.

Pay for centrally-contracted Australian male players will increase by 7.5% to an average of A$951,000 (£515,000) before match payments, while the squad will rise from 20 to 24 to take into account the number of players required for international matches across the three formats.

There is also an increase from A$2m (£1.1m) to A$3m (£1.6m) to the salary cap for the men's Big Bash League (BBL).

"We have recognised the need to ensure that the BBL remains highly competitive in a changing global cricket landscape and we're confident this agreement will help maintain its place at the heart of the Australian summer," Hockley said.