ECB committed to double-headers, increasing prize money for Hundred's women players

Following the success of the inaugural Hundred tournament, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it is committed to lead the way to reduce pay gap between the genders.

Though the tournament set out to offer equal prize money for both the men's and women's players, the disparity remained. According to ESPNCricinfo, the highest paid women cricketer was paid £24,000 which is lower than the least-paid male cricketer, who was paid £25,000.

"There's going to be some good news for women's salaries. You can expect that," ECB chief executive Tom Harrison told ESPNCricinfo.

Harrison said that the challenges of COVID have resulted in the best strategy of having both the men's and women's matches which is set to be continued for the future editions.

"The double-header model wasn't the original proposition," Harrison said. "We were forced to do that through Covid. But actually it's turned out to be one of the best things that's happened. It was an enforced change which has turned into a huge benefit."

Director of the tournament, Sanjay Patel concurred with Harrison's views, saying: "The men's and women's games just have to go together. For the next three or four years at least I think they have to be together."

 The ECB has claimed the Hundred had a total viewership of 16.1 million on TV alone with finals garnering at 1.4m for the women’s game and 2.4m for the men's match. It also claimed that the tournament on mobile streaming have hit 34.3m video views.

Meanwhile, 510,000 tickets were sold and issued for the competition, with grounds across the country posting sell-outs and 19% of all tickets sold being for children. 

In a media release they Board said that tournament attendances of 2,67,000 for a women’s cricket have surpassed the previous record of 1,36,000 who watched the women’s T20 World Cup in 2020.

Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Hundred is all about throwing cricket’s doors open – and we’ve seen in year one how it’s already delivering. It’s provided outstanding entertainment for new and existing fans alike, unearthed new cricketing heroes, and it’s been fantastic to see so many children and families enjoying the action. It’s also changed the game for women’s cricket, smashing record after record and creating role models for girls and boys to be inspired by."

The revenue projections for the tournament are around £50m with the Board set to invest the £10m surplus in domestic cricket.