New Aussie pay deal sets the benchmark

The pay deal that has finally been struck between Cricket Australia, who run cricket in Australia, and the Australian Cricketers' Association (the players' union), means a sharp rise in pay for all domestic women cricketers in Australia.

Even before the agreement they were the best paid female cricketers in the world, but things have now been taken to a level where cricket really does become a viable career option for many young girls in Australia.

Before the new agreement here is minimum per annum payment to Aussie players

National Players - $40,000 (£24,000)
State Players - $11,000 (£6,500)
WBBL Players - $7,000 (£4,200)

Under the new agreement these figures will be increased to

National Players - $72,076 (£43,000)
State Players - $25,659 (£15,300)
WBBL Players - $10,292 (£6,100)

It means that a state cricketer who can also get herself into one of the eight WBBL teams will earn a minimum of $35,951(£21,400). The National Minimum wage in Australia is currently $36,088.

And that is a minimum. According to Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones, "female state and WBBL players will earn more than $50,000 a year while the leading international women will be approaching $200,000" (that's £30,000 and £120,000).

There are currently approximately 120 players in Australia being paid under this scheme.

No other country in the world pays its domestic cricketers to play domestic cricket, so the gauntlet, having already been thrown down by Cricket Australia, has now been picked up and once again hammered into the dirt in the faces of all the other cricket boards around the globe.

MD
03/VIII/17