Cricket West Indies signs historic MoU to promote gender pay equity

In a historic move that could shapeshift the cricketing fraternity in West Indies, the country’s cricket board along with the West Indies Players’ Association have signed a 4-year deal of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to try and equal the payment structure of the Men’s and Women’s team equal, the board announced in a press release.

The (MoU) is apparently going to ensure that every West Indies cricketer gets the same amount of fees be it Men or Women during International and domestic matches, expenses of the national team captains, team’s prize money, domestic individual prize money until October 1 2027 to start with.

It is definitely a piece of good news for West Indies cricket and its cricketers who have been dealing with financial issues for a while now. The lack of revenue generation has also seen a handful of players choosing to snub international cricket for cash-laden franchise T20 leagues around the world.

The likes of Brian Lara and Jason Holder among others have appealed to the ICC and big cricketing boards about helping them and other countries in fixing this issue to help and grow the cricketing system around the world. The MoU was started on the 1st of October last year and will last as long as September-October of 2027.

CWI president Dr. Kishore Shallow expressed his happiness and gratitude on the matter and called it a significant move towards the growth of cricket over there.

Key Highlights of The West Indies And Players’ Association’s Partnership

The augmentation of team prize funds and the introduction of fresh incentives for individual players mark a substantial development. Commencing from October 1, 2024, players in the starting XI will receive full match fees, while reserves will enjoy 80% of the fees.

A noteworthy adjustment is the suspension of retainers upon the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for participation in an overseas domestic franchise tournament, also effective from October 1, 2024. Another transformative aspect is the potential for Cricket West Indies (CWI) and franchises to grant multi-year retainer contracts spanning up to three years.

Furthermore, a progressive move towards achieving parity is evident in the escalated international and regional match fees, along with increased fees for ICC tournaments, for all female cricketers. The targeted goal is to attain gender equality by October 1, 2027.

Additionally, a harmonization initiative is underway to align international women’s contracts and regional men’s contracts with the established performance grading for international male players. This comprehensive set of changes underscores a commitment to fostering fairness, financial growth, and the overall advancement of cricket.