England women's match fees increased to equal men's by England and Wales Cricket Board

England and Australia drew this summer's series but Australia retained the Ashes as holders

England women's match fees for internationals have been increased to equal the men's with immediate effect.

The change was recommended in the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report, which found discrimination is "widespread" in English and Welsh cricket.

It said women were paid 25% of men's fees for white-ball and 15% for Tests by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

England captain Heather Knight said the change was "fantastic to see".

Match fees are paid for each appearance in addition to England players' wider salaries from the ECB, which are not impacted by this change.

The ICEC report, which highlighted racism, sexism, classism and elitism, found the average salary for England women is 20.6% of that for England men, while the England women's captain's allowance is 31% of that awarded to the men's captain.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould said the standardising of match fees was only the "first step" in a more equal game.

"That is what we want," he told BBC Sport.

"That is what society wants. To do that we need to make sure the market also recognises the value of both men's and women's cricket."

Increasing men's match fees has been mooted as a way to fight off the threat of losing England players to contracts with global franchise leagues.

While admitting there is no current plan to do so, Gould said there is no commitment to increasing the women's fee again if the sum awarded to their male counterparts increases.

"This is the latest stage and people can see from it the intent of what we are trying to do," he said.

"We have no plans to increase the men's specific match fees but there will be other ways, whether it is central contracts or other areas.

"I would never want to restrict our movement in order to retain whatever talent we can.

"But this is a significant investment into the women's game and we will continue that investment.

"We are going to make sure by hook or by crook we retain all of our best talent - both men and women."

'Showing equality not just words but actions'

England skipper Knight described the move as "another really good step forward for the game".

The 32-year-old says the success of this summer's Ashes series against Australia and the women's Hundred was more significant, with match fee parity the next logical step.

"It is remarkable how things have progressed," said Knight, who made her international debut in 2010. "It is reward I guess for what has been a remarkable summer.

"You talk about the women's game playing a really big role in the sport, things like The Hundred and putting the women's game alongside the men's. Things like this is backing it up, showing it is not just words but actions as well.

"The Ashes, and the momentum and support that series had, that felt like a real watershed moment. This is just following on from that, another progression."

ECB chief calls for more investment

Gould also said broadcasters had to play their part when bidding for rights covering the women's game and hinted at increasing revenue through private investment, often suggested as a possibility for The Hundred.

"That is something we would encourage," Gould said.

"It has to be the right kind of investment, right sort of investor, right kind of ownership because we are very proud of our game, both men and women, and we want to protect it not just in the next few years but over the coming decades."

He added: "The majority of our revenue comes from the broadcasters and there is a big difference in what broadcasters pay depending on the gender of the sport they are transmitting.

"This is part of a wider journey that will involve many more stakeholders and we look forward to leading that."

The move to equal match fees follows this summer's women's Ashes series, which attracted record-breaking crowds, and has been introduced in time for England women's T20 series against Sri Lanka, which starts on Thursday.

In 2022, the ECB announced a £3.5m boost for each of 2023 and 2024, increasing the number of professional cricketers to almost 100.

"We hope it will accelerate the growth of women's game and also mean for aspiring young girls and women that want to be professional athletes cricket becomes their obvious sport of choice so we can bring in a large talent pool to drive the game forward," Gould said.