West Indies Women cricketers will be part of the richest ever International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Cup (US$2 million) tournament.
The ICC announced that total prize money for this year’s Women World Cup has increased tenfold and all matches will be shown “live” on either broadcast television or online. ICC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), David Richardson said the ICC Women’s World Cup is the pinnacle of the women’s game and as such the players should be rewarded appropriately.
He said US$2 million is the first step towards greater parity and recognition. The prize fund for the 2013 edition was just $200,000 and this announcement shows a greater level of commitment than ever before.
“We think the Women’s World Cup this summer will be a turning point in the history of the game. There is growing interest globally in women’s sport and we want cricket to be in the front and center of this and lead by example,” he said.
The ICC said 10 matches of the tournament, which will be from June 24 to July 23, would be on television and the remaining 21 matches will be available via webcast.
Richardson said the television broadcasts of the final on July 23 at Lord’s will also see a drone camera and Spidercam deployed, something never done at a women’s game or at a venue.
West Indies Women led by Jamaican Stafanie Taylor earned automatic qualification to the Women’s World Cup following their fourth place finish in the ICC Women Women’s Championship — a tournament contested between the top eight teams in the world over the last two years.
