England’s Hundred competition to have equal prize money for men and women

The ECB said the total prize budget of £600,000 would be split fifty-fifty between the women’s and men’s competitions as part of the governing body’s commitment to making cricket a gender-balanced sport. The Hundred is a new tournament consisting of eight city-based franchise sides, breaking away from England’s traditional county system. Teams will bat for 100 balls each, with overs lasting for 10 balls and bowlers either bowling five or 10 balls consecutively.

The ECB is adamant the Hundred will attract a new audience vital to safeguarding cricket’s long-term future. The ECB is committed to transforming women’s and girls’ cricket. ECB wants to inspire young girls to take up the game as they want to work for establishing the women’s game as a professional career option. The head of the Hundred’s women’s competition Beth Barrett-Wild said that they wish to transform the game for girls so that they can think about it as a potential career opportunity.

While critics have questioned the need for a fourth format in an already crowded men’s schedule featuring first-class, one-day and Twenty20 matches, while concerns have been voiced over the Hundred’s potentially damaging knock-on effects to the existing 18-team county set-up. This year’s inaugural edition of the Hundred will take place from July 17 to August 15.