NEW ERA!: ICC offers equal pay for all with Women's T20 World Cup

An important turning point in the history of the sport will occur at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2024 when women will win the same prize money as men for the first time ever. Cricket is the only major team sport with equal prize money for its men's and women's World Cup games. The decision was made during the ICC Annual Conference in July 2023, when the ICC Board decided to reach its prize money equity target seven years ahead of schedule, by 2030.

The event will now take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the victors will take home US$ 2.34 million, a huge 134 per cent increase over the $1 million that Australia won in South Africa in 2023. The runners-up will get $1.17 million, a 134% increase over the $500, 000 South Africa won for making it to the final at Newlands Cricket Ground on home soil.

The two losing semi-finalists will receive $675, 000 (up from $210,000 in 2023), and the total prize money will come to $7,958,080—a staggering 225 percent increase over the $2.45 million total fund from the previous year.

ICC brings change with Women's T20 World Cup 2024:

This take is consistent with the ICC's plan to give the women's game top priority and hasten its expansion by 2032. Teams will now be awarded the same amount of money for winning a match at similar events as well as for finishing in the same place at those events. The prize money for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 event is only increased because 32 more matches and 10 more teams are competing.

Teams that advance through the group stages will receive $31,154 for each victory, while the six teams that do not advance to the semifinals will split a pot of $1.35 million based on their final standings. By contrast, the six teams' share of the similar pool in 2023 was $180,000. The groups that place third and fourth in their respective groups will split $270,000, while the teams that place fifth in their group will split $135,000.

The prize fund for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup has been increased to match the $3.5 million total prize fund for the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.

Bangladesh will play Scotland in the opening match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 3. The order of the matches for the doubleheader on Saturday, October 5 in Sharjah has been somewhat altered. Australia will now play Sri Lanka in the afternoon at 14:00, while Bangladesh vs. England will play in the evening at 18:00 local time. Twenty-three matches between ten teams in Dubai and Sharjah will determine the 2024 champions.

Watch this space for more cricket news.