Gutenberg’s Printing Press. Columbus setting sail in 1492. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Moon Landing.
Rarely does an event feel so monumental that it promises to change the course of the world as we know it.
But on November 2nd, it felt like one of those moments: India’s women cricket team winning the World Cup. Alright, perhaps not at the level of Gutenberg or the Moon Landing, but you get the point. Some moments carry an emotional force that transcends the game itself.
India has long been called the “Sleeping Giant” of world sport, a nation of passion and population, yet far from realizing its global potential. We are reminded of this with every passing FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. But even within cricket, India’s most popular sport, women’s cricket remained the final frontier.
This wasn’t an underdog story like Kapil Dev’s men of ‘83. There were expectations for the home nation, shadowed by past disappointments. A semi-final run felt realistic, but beating this world-class Australian side? Let’s be honest, not many dreamed that far.
And yet, here we are.
It wasn’t a flawless campaign by any measure. This was an imperfect victory, and that’s what made it so special. Three losses in a row. Mandhana and Harmanpreet not quite at their best early on. In-form Pratika Rawal getting injured on the eve of the semi-finals. The public turning against the team on social media. We had seen this story before.
But when Jemimah Rodrigues fought her inner demons to script an unforgettable semi-final chase, every run she took held a nation’s breath. Her silky cover drives gliding across the field, the hunger burning fiercely in her eyes, and that smiling face, the charming grace masking the depths of fear, self-doubts, and the what-ifs. She stretched her body and mind to the limit because she knew she had to see it through and remain at the crease till the end. Oh, that muddied jersey, I’ll never forget.
Then came Shafali Verma, the out-of-favor young star meeting the moment. Dancing around the pitch, hitting sixes down the ground, taking magical wickets that turned the tide as if pressure meant nothing to her.
And when the ever-positive Amanjot Kaur sprinted in for Laura Wolvaardt’s catch…dropped, caught, dropped, and caught again, in that moment, we finally started to believe.
Every player stood up and in the field, they put their bodies on the line, diving around the boundary. Lifting the trophy in the presence of Diana Edulji, Anjum Chopra, and other pioneers, bringing in Rawal on a wheelchair, celebrating with Mithali Raj and Jhulani Goswami, this was poetic justice.
Deserved world champions, a team whose grit, grace, and courage have the power to ignite the nation.
The barrier is now shattered.
Think of the impact this win will have on India’s sports culture and even its social fabric. Somewhere in a small town, a mother realizes that her daughter could dream bigger than she ever dared to. Somewhere in a boardroom, an executive finally questions pay disparity. Somewhere in the stands, a young girl’s destiny just changed, dreaming of becoming the next Richa Ghosh or Shree Charani, inspired by World Cup heroines like Deepti Sharma.
Change will not come overnight.
But on this night, it began.
This is part of a new series of short articles, where I try to aim for 500 words and make every word count. This one ended up at 549 words.
But in true Australian fashion, Beth Mooney’s magnificent century, Kim Garth grit at #9, and Alana King’s fiery 51* turned it into a 107-run victory. Earlier, Ash Gardner had rescued them with 115 (83) from #6 and later repeated the feat alongside Sutherland against England.
Add seven ODI and six T20 World Cup victories, the picture is clear: What other nations have built in the last five years, Australia have been perfecting for over 50.
How far behind are the rest, and can we actually quantify the health of women’s cricket across the top nations?
Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
Australia ($19.56 M), England ($15.02 M), India ($2.37 M), and New Zealand ($2.27 M) spend the most on women cricketers’ salaries (both central contracts and domestic combined).
Cricket Australia aims to generate $121 million in revenue alone from women’s cricket by 2024. On the other hand, nations like South Africa, Ireland, and Bangladesh are just now starting to professionalize domestic cricket.
Despite leading women’s cricket in pay, Australian women still earn far less than the men: $139,719 AUD vs $951,046 AUD in 2023–24 average retainer value.
How I Assessed Cricket Boards’ Financial Commitment and Long-Term Vision for Women’s Cricket
To understand the full picture of each cricket board’s investment in women’s cricket, I examined the following factors for the top women’s cricket boards:
Long-term investment in girls’ and women’s sports
Salaries of centrally contracted players
Number of contracted female players (both international & domestic)
Performance in ICC tournaments*
Socioeconomic indicators. These include UN/WHO metrics such as
Female Labor Force participation: % of women actively employed or seeking work
Female Literacy Rate: Share of women who can read and write at a certain level
Global Inequality Index: Measures income and opportunity gaps affecting women
Women, Peace, & Security Index (WPSI): Assesses women’s safety, inclusion, and empowerment
After analyzing these factors, I grouped the nations into five categories:
🟢 Strongly Invested: Australia, England
🟡 Progressing: New Zealand, India
🟠 Transitioning from amateur to professional: South Africa, Ireland, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
🟣 Emerging: Scotland, Zimbabwe
🔴 At Risk: Afghanistan
*Includes the 2022 Commonwealth Games along with 13 ODI World Cups and 9 T20 World Cups.
My Theory on Women’s Economics in Cricket
In theThe Economics of Sport Dominance article, I theorized how a nation evolves from a single-nation sport into a multi-nation and Olympic dominating nation based on GDP per capita, Global Hunger Index, and poverty rate.
We can apply a similar framework to women’s sports. For a nation to rise in women’s sport, certain base needs must be met: A female literacy rate of at least 60-80%, female labor force participation rate above 40-50%, and no government restrictions on women (unlike Afghanistan).
7 Steps of Achieving Sustainability in Women’s Cricket
Once these prerequisites are achieved, a cricket board typically progresses through seven steps:
Professionalize the Base: Create contracts, domestic leagues, and comprehensive player support to elevate ‘amateur’ players, allowing them to focus on cricket rather than juggling other jobs.
Have a Catalyst Moment: A breakthrough win or tournament performance that sparks interest (ex: India’s 2017 ODI World Cup run).
Institutionalize Momentum: Build grassroots pathways and scholarship programs to build on the momentum from the initial spark.
Build Systems: Invest in coaching, leadership, administration as well as grown fans of women’s cricket and increase sponsorships.
Deepen Talent Pool: Expand local tournaments, scouting networks to increase depth so women’s cricket does not only depend on one ‘golden generation’.
Expand International Exposure and Raise Standards: Create domestic T20 league, invest in emerging, A, and U-19 tours, and raise standards for new batch of players.
Achieve Profitability and Re-invest: At this stage, both the talent pool and the audience have matured. Domestic leagues, sponsorships, TV rights are set. Money is flowing in and being re-invested into local talent and systems built earlier, which outputs in increased depth and better tournament performance.
Top 10 Richest Women Cricket Boards (By Overall Salary)
Alright, now time for the reveal.
Here are the cricketing nations ranked loosely by estimated salaries for women’s cricketers (central contracts and domestic cricketers combined). We also look at investment trajectory, strategic vision, and recent grassroots development.
Note: Salaries and match fee information of some emerging nations were not available. Also, Women CPL salary information was not publicly available, so they are not used for this analysis.
$800,000 AUD ($520,495 USD) $500,000 AUD ($325,000 USD) for next 6
$163,322 AUD ($106,260 USD)
Number of Players
18 central contracts
131 across 7 teams (including the 18 central)
Match Fees
$2,000 AUD/match day
Included in average
1 $AUD = $0.65 USD, WNCL – Women’s National Cricket League, WBBL – Women’s Big Bash League
Highest Paid WPL Australian Player Breakdown: In 2024, Ash Gardner earned an estimated $831,951 USD (or $1.28 million AUD) annually across WPL ($380,000 USD), The Hundred ($86,613), central contract/WBBL ($325,000), and match fees ($40,338 USD/$62,000 AUD), not including awards, bonuses, or sponsorships.
She played 31 days of international cricket: 1 Test (3 days), 12 ODIs, and 16 T20Is in 2024.
Bottom Line: Australia’s high socioeconomic index and investment in women’s cricket is unparalleled, directly translating into high salaries, strong grassroots participation, team depth, and World Cup success.
Potential Challenges: Australia are in a unique place, culturally. They have an abundance of sports culture and women in sports. Hence, the main challenge I see for Australia is retaining cricket as the #1 sport for young girls aspire to pick up.
Average women’s match attendance → 600,000 (from 110,000)
80% of women’s matches telecasted in primetime
40% of women in leadership roles
$500 million AUD invested in infrastructure
Revenue from women’s cricket → $121M AUD (from $21M)
Quotes from Action Plan and Annual Report
“…some of our girls who are playing in India earn significant amounts of money in the WPL, and on top of this deal now, they will become million-dollar athletes. And so they should because they’re the best in the world at what they do.“
-Todd Greenberg, CEO Australia Cricketers’ Association
“We are also exceptionally proud that following the last MOU, our elite players are by far the highest paid female team sport athletes in Australia.”
Investment & Grassroots Growth
Registered women/girls: 47,000 → 80,000 (2014-24)
2023-24 season: +18% to 93,091 registered players, including 44% rise in school competitions
~$100M AUD ($65 M USD) invested in facilities over last 10 years.
CommBank’s Growing Cricket for Girls Fund supported 4,408 girls aged 5-18
Weber WBBL: Most-watched sports league in Oct-Nov.
How we estimated salaries for Australian women cricketers
We estimated the average salary for an Australian contracted player as follows:
According to the 2023–28 MOU, the average retainer for centrally contracted women’s cricketers was $139,719 AUD, which rose ~8% to $150,897 AUD the next year.
Adding the estimated average WBBL salary of $48,800 AUD brings most players’ total earnings to about $200,000 AUD.
When accounting for top earners, the squad-wide average rises to roughly $333,000 AUD, with the top player at $800,000 AUD and the next six around $500,000–$600,000 AUD.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟢 Exceptionally Strong 5-Year Investment Trajectory: The ECB plans to invest £20-25 Million ($27-33M USD) annually in women’s cricket by end of the decade.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Salary Range
£90,000-£130,000 ($118,600-$171,250)
Minimum (Tier 1): £33,333 Average (Tier 1): £53,333
Tier 1 counties include Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, and Warwickshire with Yorkshire to join in 2026 and Glamorgan in 2027.
£1 = $1.33 USD
The salary cap for Tier 1 counties is £500,000-£800,000, and a minimum of 15 contracted players are required for each Tier 1 county. The average domestic salary otherwise is £25,000, with £28,000 for senior pro level and £20,000 for Rookie level.
Note: Although 270+ players play across the domestic system, only 153 are supported by official domestic contracts.
Highest Paid WPL England Player Breakdown: England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt earns around $931,978 annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
Do they have a T20 league? Yes, The Women’s Hundred.
Tournament Performance:Number of ICC Trophies/Commonwealth: 17/23 (5 Wins, 12 Runners-Up)
Bottom Line: England’s women’s cricket is thriving. From leading the charge in the equal pay movement & the Women’s Hundred revolution to investing in domestic cricket & nationwide grassroots push, women’s cricket is in good place in England.
Potential Challenges: Although England has invested in the grassroots level, their social progress has not directly translated into tournament wins. Increasing salaries in the Women’s Hundred and increasing the standard of domestic cricket will hopefully lead them to create dominance like the Australian dynasties.
+£19M per year investment in women’s domestic cricket by 2027.
+£25M investment annually above forecasted revenues by 2029.
Equity Commitments (ICEC Report 2023)
The 2023 Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) recommended the following:
Equal match fees for men and women ✅ (implemented in 2023)
Equal domestic pay by 2029
100% equal international salary parity by 2030
Other Recommendations: Parity in Hundred salaries, captain’s allowances, win bonuses, introduction of Rookie Contracts, merit-based and inclusive talent pathway, financial aid, and more
Investment & Grassroots Growth
£1.2 million invested in a network of 100 Cricket Development Officers
Core City Hubs Programme: 285 hubs across 13 cities, engaging 30,000 players including 9,000 women and girls
£3.7M public funding from ESC Lottery fund, of which £850,000 was allocated for for Tacking inequality – Womens and Girls and £101,000 for “Female Talent Pathway”
Participation & Engagement (2023)
20% growth in women’s and girls’ teams from 2022 to 2023.
717 new women’s & girls’ teams
26,752 girls participated in Stars and Dynamos
7.4 million total audience for women’s cricket across formats
140% increase in women’s international (122,000) and 167% increase in viewership of Women’s Test
349,401 attended the 2025 The Women’s Hundred
+3000 bursaries (scholarships) to “enable individuals, especially women, ethnically diverse individuals, and disabled people, to qualify as coaches.”
538% increase in women’s professional players from 2020 to 2025
Quotes from PCA Women Impact Report
“For years I had a full-time job alongside playing top level domestic cricket as an amateur. The progress made in the past five years has been astounding…”
-Eve Jones, Lancashire
“A key priority for the players was agreeing a maternity policy which supports those wishing to start a family whilst still playing the game. The ECB were supportive of the policy and in 2025 now provide a fully paid maternity leave period of up to 12 months, with a 12-month contract extension for players returning from maternity leave.”
How We Estimated Salaries for England women cricketers
120 Tier 1 players * £53,333 average = £6,399,960
150 Tier 2 players × £20,000 = £3,000,000
20 central contracts × £110,000 = £2,200,000
Subtract overlapping County pay (20 * £53,333)
Adding everything up, England spends about £11,283,300 on player salaries, or about $15.02 million.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟡 Financially Improving, fewer resources 5-Year Investment Trajectory: NZC short-term focus is on developing young cricketers and increasing financial sustainability with TV rights and free-to-air opportunities for women’s cricket.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$152,796 NZD ($87,859 USD)
$18,646 NZD ($10,722 USD)
Maximum Salary
$163,246 NZD ($93,868)
$19,146 NZD ($11,009 USD)
Number of Players
17
72 players across 6 teams
Match Fees
$85,700 NZD* (included in salary)
$13,750 NZD* (included in salary)
$1 NZD = $0.58 USD
The salary for the Rank 1 player breakdown: $63,000 (Retainer), $85,700 (Match Fees), $6,750 (CPPT), $6,300 (Retirement Fund), Insurance ($1,496)
Match fees and CPPT is the same for all White Ferns contracts; only retainer and retirement fund fluctuate by ranking
CPPT: Cricket Players’ Property Trust
Match Fees Includes:
$10,250 (Test – which White Ferns have not played for 20+ years)
$4000 (ODI), $2500 (T20I)
$800 (Domestic ODI), $575 (Domestic T20)
Highest Paid New Zealand WPL Player breakdown:Amelia Kerr earns about $435,755 annually excluding bonuses, match awards, and sponsorships. In 2024, she earned around $582,960 with the 2024 T20 WC prize money.
$192,000: WPL
$147,203 ($256,000 NZD): 2024 T20 World Cup prize money
$86,539 (£65,000): The Hundred
$85,545 ($148,946 NZD): Salary (retainer + match fees)
Bottom Line: The 2024 T20 World Cup win boosted the White Ferns, and they have recently focused on developing grassroots cricket. However, compared to the Big 3, they do not have nearly as much participation in girls cricket or financial investment in women’s cricket.
Potential Challenges: As the senior pros head towards retirement, NZ need to focus on increasing their talent depth. They do well with the resources they currently have, but risk falling behind with the lack of resources.
The landmark agreement between NZC, New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), and Major Associations in 2022 yielded the following:
Equal match fees for men and women on the same day
Player payments based on 29.75% of NZC’s projected commercial revenue over 5 years (NZ$349m), expected to total NZ$104M.
Prioritizes growth in participation of women and girls, leveraging free-to-air TVNZ coverage.
“At domestic level we increased the number of women’s annual contracts awarded by 30% to further invest in the development of our pipeline…As a result, cricket is becoming the most attractive professional sport in the country for young female athletes…The 15-strong squad who contested the World Cup final received circa NZ$256,000 in prize money each, on top of their annual retainers and match fees.”
Investment & Grassroots Growth
Average Live Audience for White Fern matches → 190,000 in 2020/21 (from 31,000 in 2016/17)
Around 821,000 people watched at least one of 20 Women’s Super Smash matches
In Otago alone, about 124 teams of girls took place in Girls Smash. Wellington, Marlborough, and Canterbury followed with over 1,000 girls involved now.
Around 43,596 females participated in 2020-21 before the Covid-19 dropoff to 26,321 the next year
Aspiring Female Umpire & Pathway to Performance Programs: 20 coaches/umpires trained in 2023-24, 12 women promoted to Head or Assistance Coach roles in the 2024 National U-19 Women’s Tournament, 15 new female coaches developed through Cricket Wellington Women & Girls Coaching Course
Female Leadership Initiatives: Leadership Development Contestable Fund, other leadership programs for women and girls
How We Estimated Salaries for White Ferns central contracts:
NZC lays out the salary bands of players based on different rankings:
Rank 1 – $163,246
Rank 9 – $148,946
Rank 17 – $142,346
However, it does not layout the rankings in the middle so we take the average between the highest and lowest for this average: ($163,246+$142,346)/2 = $152,796.
Combining both domestic and central contracts, NZCricket spends around $2.27 million on player salaries
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟡 Financially Stable, Lacking Vision 10-Year Investment Trajectory: BCCI spends around $10-11 million per-year on women’s domestic cricket, which means they will spend more than $100M in a 10-year cycle on women’s cricket.
Bottom Line: As the financial powerhouse of world cricket, India is pouring money into the WPL and have thousands of women cricketers playing in the domestic circuit. However, there seems to be a lack of longterm vision and systemic grassroots growth.
Potential Challenges: India’s main challenge will be navigating an evolving socioeconomic landscape and create a better cricket infrastructure for more girls to participate.
Australia Women’s Tour to India: 15.53 Crore, England W tour to India: 9.39 Crore
England A Women’s tour: 1.98 Crore
Women’s Emerging Asia Cup: 1.7 Crore, Women’s Tour to Bangladesh: 5.91 Crore, Women’s Asian Games: 2.22 Crore
Note: According to Times of India, about 96 Crore INR is budgeted for women’s domestic cricket in the 2025/26 BCCI budget. We have not been able to find the BCCI budget, but it is close to the 89.82 Crore INR from BCCI’s 2023/24 annual report.
Strategic Vision
Apart from match fees pay equity and annual financial reports, I did not find any strategic visions or 5 to 10-year plans from BCCI like Australia, England, or New Zealand have neatly presented.
Hence, I looked at Jay Shah’s tweets to see his vision for women cricket and grassroots development in India.
Hosting the @ICC@cricketworldcup in India enables us to have a significant impact at the grassroots level.
My sincere thanks to @DP_World, who share our vision of promoting the game and empowering women's cricket. As part of the Beyond Boundaries Initiative, 250 kits were… https://t.co/D1oWXNWuQ3
Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the game, and I am dedicated to preserving its stature while enhancing its appeal to fans. Simultaneously, women's cricket will be a cornerstone of our growth strategy as we take the sport to new horizons.
Women’s Cricket in India is on the upswing and the World Cup triumph has taken the stature of women’s cricket several notches higher. I am delighted to announce INR 5 crore for the entire team and support staff as prize money. This is surely a path-breaking year.
In a historic stride for Indian cricket, Jacintha Kalyan has become the trailblazing pioneer as the first female cricket pitch curator in our nation. 🙌 Taking the helm of pitch preparation for the inaugural leg of the Women's Premier League in Bengaluru, Jacintha embodies the… pic.twitter.com/AVqLondy77
After pay equity, today's bidding for media rights for Women's IPL marks another historic mandate. It's a big and decisive step for empowerment of women's cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed! #WIPL@ICC@BCCIWomen
How We Estimated Average Domestic Indian Women Cricket Salaries
There are two major tournaments: Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and Senior Women’s ODI Trophy. In both tournaments, teams play about 7 matches in group-stages and can further qualify to pre-quarters, quarters, semi-finals, and finals.
1072 women cricketers are named in the Senior Women T20 Squad for the 31 teams, averaging 34.58 players per team. This means 11 players will play each match and about 23.6 players will be on the bench.
Playing XI earns 20,000 INR: 11 * 20,000 = 220,000. Bench earns 10,000: 23.6 *10,000 = 236,000
Hence, each team pays their players about 456,000 INR per match on average.
If teams do not qualify, the tournament spend on salary is 456,000 * 14 = 6,348,000 INR. If qualifying teams play ~ 16 matches, the total is close to 7,296,000 INR. From the 31 teams, if 8 qualify and 23 do not, we can estimate the total cost as follows: (8*7,296,000) + (23*6,348,000) = 205,200,000/1072 = 191,441 INR per player per season.
Overall, the BCCI pays its central contract holders about 3.6 Crore INR and about 20.5 Crore INR to its domestic players, for a total of 20.8 Crore INR (or $2.37 million total) excluding match fees for international players.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Have vision, but in the process of professionalizing Investment Trajectory: South Africa government investment 15M ZAR ($USD 869,000) in women’s cricket in the lead-up to the 2023 T20 World Cup and the U-19 T20 WC.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
N/A
N/A
Number of Players
15
68 (plus 17 high performance and academy contracts)
Match Fees
Test: $6,925 ODI: $1,900 T20I: $911
N/A
1 ZAR = $0.06 USD ($1 = 17.23 ZAR)
Unfortunately, there is no publicly available information of how much the central contracts are worth for women’s cricketers in South Africa. The match fees is from ESPNCricinfo’s 2017 report and may be outdated. CSA now provides equal match fee for both their women’s and men’s cricketers.
Highest Paid South African WPL Player breakdown:Marizanne Kapp earns between $400,000-$480,000 annually before sponsorships, etc. Here is the breakdown:
Bottom Line: South Africa have produced world-class cricketers in the last few years, but women’s domestic cricket is just becoming professional. Hosting the 2023 T20 World Cup created a cycle of investment in women’s cricket according to the Nielsen report. They are now focusing on investing in women’s domestic and junior level cricket to complete the transition from amateur to professionalization.
Potential Challenges: Making the finals of the 2023 and 2024 T20 World Cups was no easy feat, but can they sustain the momentum once the golden generation retires?
“…the continued professionalisation of the women’s game through the appointment of a permanent head coach marks a landmark achievement.“
-Rihan Richards, President (CSA)
“Focus on women’s cricket: Significant attention was given on advancing the growth and professionalisation of women’s cricket. The committee supported increased investment in domestic women’s structures, advocated for broader enhanced media coverage and commercial partnerships and the integration of former women players in strategic discussions, reflecting CSA’s commitment to transformation and gender inclusivity.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Increasing Investments 10-Year Investment Trajectory: In 2023, CWI announced they would start significant investments in women’s cricket. For example, business class flights for long-haul travels and single rooms for international assignments were added to match the men’s team policy, adding $500,000 in budget alone.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$50,000-$100,000
N/A
Number of Players
15 (3 with multi-year contracts)
14 (Women’s academy)
Match Fees
ODI: $2,300 T20I: $1,735
N/A
*Note: The match fees reflects equal match fees, when it does come into effect, based on our estimates for Men’s match fees.
Highest Paid West Indian WPL Player breakdown:Deandra Dottin earned approximately $269,200 in 2023-24. She had retired from international cricket, so no salary estimate is added.
West Indies played about 7 ODIs and 16 T20Is in 2024, which could add an additional $43,860 in match fees for those who played on top of the central contract.
Bottom Line: Failure to qualify for the 2025 ODI World Cup marked a low note for the 2016 T20 World Cup winners and the 2022 ODI World Cup semi-finalists. The successes in the last decade would have inspired a new generation of players. Does the WI have systems in place to capitalize for this talent?
Potential Challenges: The need to widen talent pool and depth to match the dominance of Australia & England.
“The MOU was signed by Cricket West Indies and the West Indies Players’ Association and set a clear path for West Indies cricket to achieve parity in international and regional match fees, international captain’s allowances, international team prize money and regional individual prize money for all West Indies cricketers by 1 October 2027.”
Goals
“Establishment of Key Performance Indicators for Territorial Boards linked to new funding model with clear minimum standards including dedicated support for women and girls programmes and high-performance programmes.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Increasing Investments, low resources 10-Year Investment Trajectory: Increased annual investment from €500,000 ($582,000) before 2019 to €1.5M ($1.75M). The investment will go towards player contracts and match fees, coaching and support staff, infrastructure, etc. In 10 years, about $15-20M can be invested in women’s cricket if they continue on this path.
Average Salary: $50,000-$75,000 (including match fees).
Highest Paid Irish WPL Player breakdown: Gaby Lewis was selected in The Hundred as an overseas wildcard in 2023, where salaries may be between £7,500-£15,000 ($10,000-$20,000). This means her annual salary that year could have been close to $60,000-$100,000.
Ireland’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 60.1%
WPSI: 0.892 (#13)
Female Literacy Rate: 99%
Global Inequality Index: 0.054 (#19)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: With high socioeconomic indices, Ireland shouldn’t have trouble progressing to the next level of professionalization in women’s cricket. The next step is to find more players that can consistently be selected in overseas T20 leagues to raise their standards.
Potential Challenges: They are investing well for their size, but they also need to think about widening their talent pool.
45% increase in women’s cricket investment (from 2016 to 2021)
1,582 female cricketers registered across all levels
Funding: Received €70,000 from Sport Ireland for 2024, with €103,038 total expenditure after carryover.
Broadcast Boost:Virgin Media aired women’s internationals free-to-air for the first time; €60,000 allocated to televise the England series at Clontarf.
Professionalization: Entry into the ICC Women’s Championship (2021) led to the first full-time contracts for women.
Sponsorship:Certa renewed as main team sponsor.
Goals (by 2023)
Get Cricket to be in top 10 choice of sports for girls in Ireland
Achieve 50% increase in participation
Develop talent pool of accredited female coaches and officials
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 National investment in grassroots women’s cricket growing, the beginning of professionalization for women’s cricket in the country. Investment Trajectory: Increased women cricket’s spending from 70M PKR ($249,000) to 240M PKR ($854,000).
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$2,000-$12,500
420,000 PKR ($1,495)
Number of Players
20 (18 central, 2 emerging)
65
Match Fees
N/A
20,000 PKR/match 10,000 PKR (bench)
$1 = 281.04 PKR
Currently, a domestic Pakistan player can play upwards of 31 days of cricket in a year
The retainer salaries of Pakistan’s contracted players is not available. I’d expect it to be higher than their domestic salaries.
A number of players including Fatima Sana are in the upcoming WBBL draft. However, in the past, not Pakistan players have made it to the Hundred or WBBL teams.
Pakistan’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 24.3%
WPSI: 0.481 (#158)
Female Literacy Rate: 46.5%
Global Inequality Index: 0.536 (#145)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: Pakistan have started domestic contracts, which is a step in the right direction. However, domestic pay is too low to encourage widespread growth at the moment.
Potential Challenges: Overcoming cultural and socioeconomic challenges to increase awareness and promote more girls taking up sports. Pakistan needs an inspiring tournament run to motivate a generation.
In the 2019-23 5-Year Plan, the PCB laid out their vision as follows:
Develop a National High Performance Center for women
Build infrastructure and development programs for female coaches
Ensure inclusion of women in reformed grassroots programs and integrate women’s cricket into the six Cricket Associations.
Pakistan’s 2025-26 domestic season includes tournaments for Women’s U-19 T20 Tournament, Inter-university tournaments, and National Women’s ODI and T20 tournaments signifying a step in the right direction.
“Our Pathways structure continues to evolve with the aim of building a strong future for Pakistan women’s cricket. The U19 T20 tournament, followed by the tour to Bangladesh will offer young players valuable exposure and an opportunity to develop the skills required at the international level…We are also actively engaging in discussion with various departments to introduce a departmental tournament for women’s cricket. This initiative will provide additional playing opportunities for our women cricketers.”
– Rafia Haider, Head of Women’s Cricket
This PCB Podcast with Rafia Haider is a revelation, which shows the planning and vision PCB has women’s cricket.
Overview of Women’s Cricket in Pakistan
“Socially, we have a limitation. We have been able to overcome these challenges, credit to PCB and support of parents...Progress has been made in the last couple of years especially with budgetary approvals, working on FTP, domestic setup add-ons. I am having a good time that I have an empowered role. We have domestic programs, 9 academies with dedicated support staff across Pakistan that works round the year…The rewards for best players have been enhanced. For our regional tournament, skills and fitness will be emphasized. We were lacking fitness standards, and this is a focus for us. Contracts will be based on fitness and performance...”
Create a Robust Inter-Collegiate Ecosystem
“Schools are non-existent (as development pool). Most of our players come from a handful of colleges and universities. The PCB has started new program for schools to register in and nominate their players (over 50 institutions have showed interest). Men’s cricket have clubs and street cricket. The goal is to create a proper inter-school and inter-collegiate tournaments. We are targeting U-15 and U-17 development to start off early that builds our U-19 pool…We are increasing number of series and engagements with international teams in both U-19 and national level…Merit based selection is key.”
Increasing Visibility
Until we increase visibility, we cannot increase engagement. Lack of awareness in women’s cricket can only be solved when our national stars become household names (ex: Sadia, Fatima, Diana who have broken the barrier). People appreciated our show in the Women’s WC Qualifiers. Projection is key, so families know that things can better. Trying to create positive engagement with current players via social media platforms so younger players to be part of the story.”
Domestic Infrastructure for Women’s Cricket
“HPC Karachi is dedicated for women’s cricket. Karachi stadium and facilities are available to women’s teams, U-19, and extended skill camps. We are working with the NCA to ensure additional support staff. We are also working with increasing stadium availability and intra-region practice matches. Coaching staff will engage within their districts and schools. We lack in the refereeing and coaching side. There are ex-players who have taken Level 2 & Level 3 coaching. We are trying to facilitate this with ICC and NCA to organize this. We are also increasing a focus on mixed refereeing.”
Message for the People
One thing that should change is the people’s attitude is bring their kids in. There is progress, but a lot more needs to come in. This is a societal effort, we need to realize that women’s sports is important. If you put your heart into it, hardwork is essential. Yes there are limitations in society and administration. We are trying our level best to bring cricket to their doorsteps, but people need to come forward as well.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Low player salary, but structures beginning to be put in place Investment Trajectory: 30 domestic state contracts started this year.
Bangladesh player Salary breakdown: In 2024, Nigar Sultana played 6 ODIs and 19 T20Is, which earned her about $4,650 in match fees. Presuming that she has a Grade A contract, Sultana’s overall salary annually is between $17,000-$20,000.
Unfortunately, not many Bangladesh players have been selected for the WPL, WBBL, and the Hundred.
Bangladesh’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Female Labor Force Participation: 44.2%
WPSI: 0.593 (#131)
Female Literacy Rate: 72%
Global Inequality Index: 0.487 (#125)
Bottom Line: Bangladesh are showing signs of professionalizing, but need to elevate to the next level. If they produce 2-3 more world class players who get into the WPL/Hundred/WBBL drafts, then that can change the perspective of women’s cricket in Bangladesh.
Potential Challenges: Pay may be too low for aspiring women’s cricketers to devote a career into the sport.
“The women’s national contract is similar to the first-class players’ contract for male cricketers. The board has decided to introduce this in an effort to provide financial stability to a large pool of women cricketers. Thirty cricketers, who are not a part of the central contract, have been placed in the women’s national contract…”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Lower paid, just started professionalizing Investment Trajectory: A 23,855,000 LKR ($78,667) “ICC Women’s Cricket Financial Grant” was provided to SLC for 2023.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
2,400,000 LKR ($7,915)
N/A
Maximum Salary
3,600,000 LKR ($11,872)
N/A
Number of Players
25
15
Match Fees
$750/match $250 bonus for matches won
N/A
$1 = 303.24 LKR
National Contracts are divided in Grades A-D, but the amounts are not specified (salaries may range from 100,000 LKR to 300,000 LKR).
*Emerging players earn a ‘fixed monthly rate and an attendance allowance’
Highest Paid Sri Lankan WPL Player breakdown:Chamari Athapaththu earns approximately $226,741 annually before sponsorships and other awards:
$86,539 (£65,000): The Hundred
~ $71,671 ($110,000 AUD): WBBL, pre-signed
$34,159 (30 Lakh INR): WPL
$22,500: Match Fees (9 ODIs, 21 T20Is in 2024)
$11,872: Central Contract
Sri Lanka’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 31.6%
WPSI: 0.743 (#60)
Female Literacy Rate: 91.6%
Global Inequality Index: 0.367 (#93)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: Sri Lanka have the heart, but the structure is just not there yet. I hope that the 2024 Asia Cup win inspired the next generation of talent so Sri Lanka are in a safer place after Athapaththu retires
Potential Challenges: Raising domestic salaries to professionalize the sport is the most important challenge Sri Lanka must overcome.
The ICC and other boards have pooled in money to support the displaced Afghanistan women’s cricket team to provide them with facilities, training camps, and practice matches.
USA, Netherlands, Thailand, and the UAE women’s teams are also teams that may rise in the next couple of decades.
I'm proud to announce on behalf of the @ICC a landmark initiative we've partnered on with the BCCI, England & Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia to assist displaced Afghan women cricketers in both their cricketing and development journeys.
Final Thoughts: Where Does Women’s Cricket Go from Here?
Aside from the lack of marketing and rain, the 2025 ODI World Cup marks another milestone with a record $13.88 million prize money. It reflects how much the women’s game has grown in visibility and value since the successful 2017 and 2020 World Cups.
Women’s cricket is no longer.a niche sport.
However, unless more countries 10x their investments in women cricket (and maybe the ICC needs to help out), Australia & England will almost always be in the finals and two out of South Africa-West Indies-India-New Zealand will complete the rest of the semi-finalists.
I am hopeful of Ireland, Scotland, and Sri Lanka rising up the ranks, but only time will tell.
For now, let’s admire Australia’s dominance and let it remind us what long-term planning can achieve in women’s cricket.
We knew the end was near. The runs had dried up. The spark wasn’t quite the same.
But he had just won the T20 World Cup in 2024 and looked fit as ever. We thought there was still time—one last tour, one final roar, a 2010 Tendulkar-esque year.
And then, just like that, it was over.
No farewell match. No final Test century.
Just the silence that follows the end of something important, the kind that lingers when you never got to say goodbye.
Those five days in Adelaide changed everything. Twin centuries and going for the win in the 2nd innings. Although that shot to Nathan Lyon still haunts me, that loss still felt like a win.
India was not afraid because Kohli was not afraid.
In Melbourne, Kohli and his partner in crime, Rahane, took Johnson on and shred him apart. They matched Australia’s pace attack blow for blow.
Remember, this is the same Mitchell Johnson that was at his peak in 2013, single-handedly dismantling England’s No. 1 Test team and striking fear in the eyes of South Africa’s batters.
For anybody that lived through the 0-8 horrors of 2011, this felt like a beginning of a new dawn for Indian Test cricket.
Kohli didn’t just play.
He fought. Believed. He risked it to see how far he and his team could go.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
— Rumi
Over the years, Kohli did not just evolve as a cricketer, but grew as a human being.
He carried the weight of a nation. He changed his lifestyle and started a fitness revolution.
To help India win abroad, he nurtured a bowling attack that would become the envy of the world. He did more for Test cricket than the World Test Championship itself.
He began his career trying to prove his worth to everybody By the time he retired, he had become a father & a family, a wise leader, and a teammate others could count on.
I wanted him to score runs and wear his heart on his sleeve because he lived the way I sometimes wished I could. He was everything I never quite let myself be.
He taught me to never back down, keep pushing even when I didn’t feel like it. But most of all, he showed me what it means to give yourself completely to your craft.
You can question his antics. You can question his demeanor. But you can’t question his commitment. And that—that’s who I’d like to be.
Test cricket loses more than just a cricketer or batter today. It loses its soul, its most passionate son.
Goodbye, Virat. And thank you. For making us feel…well everything. Carrying Test cricket like it mattered more than anything else. Showing us what it looks like to care.
Kohli gave us joy. He entertained us.
Frustrated us, inspired us, and earned our respect. He even made us question his technique outside off.
He made us smile. And now, he’s making us cry.
Goodbye, Virat.
****
Thank you all for reading!
They were not quite their predecessors. But they were ours.
Pujara didn’t scale Dravid’s walls. Rahane couldn’t emulate Laxman’s miracles. Rohit didn’t dominate Test match opening like Sehwag once did. And Virat didn’t quite reach the mountain top Tendulkar stood on.
Niccolò Machiavelli argued in his famous political treatise, The Prince, that it is “much safer to be feared than to be loved.”
The BCCI has taken that philosophy to heart, wielding its soft power in ways that are gradually eroding trust in cricket.
The Champions Trophy may just be the tipping point.
The Accusations
Since cricket’s resumption after the financially and mentally taxing COVID-induced break, the BCCI has increasingly dictated terms. Subtle but significant decisions across the last four ICC tournaments have raised serious concerns.
2021 T20 World Cup: India’s last two matches were scheduled against Scotland and Namibia, conveniently positioned as the final group-stage fixtures—providing them the best chance to boost their NRR if needed.
Champions Trophy: On the flip side, in a format where an opening loss is nearly fatal, India starts against Bangladesh while their toughest fixture—New Zealand—is left until the end.
2024 T20 World Cup: Matches in the Caribbean were scheduled to suit Indian prime-time television, not local fans. It was decided ahead of the tournament that if India qualify for the 2024 T20 WC semi-final, they would get to play in Guyana irrespective of group stage standings.
Travel Disparities: In the same tournament, Sri Lanka had to face airplane delays and four flights at four venues, while India stayed in one location and had gap between their Sunday to Sunday matches.
And now, India are playing all their matches in the same venue at Dubai while South Africa take a trip from Pakistan to Pakistan via the UAE.
I am not claiming that this is outright corruption or that ICC tournaments are rigged. Far from it.
But, these are not mere coincidences either. It raises serious concerns about the independence of fixtures, and that independence is what keeps sport fair and compelling to watch.
South Africa flew out to Dubai from Karachi after playing England. Then flew back to Lahore barely 12 hours after landing in Dubai.
Ironically, it is Team India, one of the greatest ODI sides in modern history, that is suffering from this loss of trust.
Let’s take a look at the squad:
Virat Kohli – The greatest ODI Player of all time.
Rohit Sharma – Legendary opener, three double centuries, including a 264-run masterpiece.
Shreyas Iyer – Resolved India’s #4 conundrum and as Abhishek AB on Twitter mentioned, the only #4s with a 100+ SR and 50+ average.
KL Rahul – The finest #5 batter of this generation.
Shami – India’s best ICC ODI bowler.
– 54 batters have scored 1500+ runs at No.4 in ODIs. – Only 7 of them averaged 50+ at this position. – But among them, just one has a 100+ strike rate.
Besides the core, you have the all-rounder engine room of Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja. They can be the insurance policy and arrest the slide when wickets fall early or provide the finishing touch. On the field, they can stall opposition with economical spells, timely wickets, catches, and game-changing run-outs.
If the opposition somehow manages to get through these eight, then they pray that they do not run into ICC #1 Shubman Gill, the guile of Varun Chakravarthy, or Kuldeep Yadav’s artistry. The likes of Rishabh Pant are carrying drinks, and Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, and Sanju Samson are not even in the squad.
Since 2011, India has lost just seven ICC ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy matches out of 51. England lost six in the 2023 World Cup alone.
Yet, because of the UAE-Pakistan hosting fiasco, even die-hard cricket fans are now questioning the seriousness of this tournament. Heck, Peter Della Penna is not even watching the tournament at all!
I haven't watched a single ball of this Champions Trophy, first time I've not watched a major ICC event since 2005. I can't exactly call it a boycott. I just can't watch it seriously with a straight face when the thumb is so blatantly on the scales for one team vs all others. https://t.co/ZIZWqhsI3S
— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) March 5, 2025
The Needless UAE Debate
This Indian side is one of the most balanced ODI sides in recent memory. However, the focus in the last couple of weeks has diverted to an unnecessary debate. Nasser Hussain & Mike Atherton claimed that India had an ‘undeniable advantage.’
Rassie van der Dussen pointed out that “If you can stay in one place, stay in one hotel, practice in the same facilities, play in the same stadium, on the same pitches it’s definitely an advantage. I don’t think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that.”
(Side note: As someone who has been stranded a bazillion times in the Dallas Fort Worth airport, I can relate to David Miller’s frustrations. Once, I almost landed at my destination only for the plane to turn sent back to Dallas due to a tornado warning, forcing me to sleep in the airport — I get it, David. Flights have a way of ruining a good night’s sleep or an entire weekend, but that’s a whole other story.)
When the Nasser Hussain’s of the world question India’s authority, the whole world erupts. Journalists, fans, cricketers all weigh in, and the Indian Newtonian brigade swiftly respond with their equal and opposite stingers.
As CricBlog argues, India only playing in the UAE isn’t really that much of an advantage as critics claim.
Frankly, they could have broken the 400 barrier in the flat pitches of Pakistan. This team would have dominated anywhere.
The point isn’t whether India needs these advantages — it’s that they exist at all.
And dude, these players are accustomed to playing double Super Overs on a Sunday night into Monday morning for IPL matches, squeezing interviews and sponsorship committments, getting a few of hours of sleep, and traveling to another city for a game just 36 hours later. The kind of relentless schedule and travel is the reality for today’s IPL generation of professional athletes.
Hypocrisy, Thy Name is India
As William Shakespeare most certainly did not say, “Hypocrisy, Thy Name is India.”
The BCCI’s stance on cricketing relations with Pakistan is simple: “We refuse to play bilateral cricket Pakistan due to geopolitical reasons. We will not play them at all (well, of course, except in the cases of money, TV rights, and yep that’s about it, money).
When ICC tournaments were held every four years, I could understand the financial weight India-Pakistan matches carried, but with these tournaments happening every year now, the matches no longer hold the same significance. And honestly, they have become predictably boring.
The argument always has been, the ICC earnings from these encounters would be reinvested into grassroot cricket and growth of the game worldwide. Growth of cricket, my foot!
In a Big-3 led 10-team World Cup sport, the ICC’s exploitation of India-Pakistan is just a cash cow, stripping ICC fixtures of their independence and adding logistical burden for every other nation. As Jarrod Kimber rightly exclaimed on this point, “Can we just grow up as sport?”
Mohammed Shami admits that playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai has been an advantage for India 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/5FrE3fPmAf
In school, sometimes a new kid arrives and gets all the attention. In the cricket world, India is the new (financial) kid. And they also happen to be the smartest student in the room.
Social media is already pandering to Indian audiences due to the views and monetization. Not only has the tune of the high level administrators become more rosy towards India, but YouTube channels of Pakistani cricketers, podcasts from Australia and England — EVERYbody caters to Indian audiences.
Is that a bad thing? No, can actually be pretty entertaining to be honest.
Nobody questions the BCCI anymore. Everyone just quietly wants to be friends with them and take a piece of the pie.
Remember in 2003 when teams accused Ricky Ponting of playing with a “spring bat”? How could a team be so good (and slightly arrogant). Well, India is that team now, and the BCCI is that board.
The ICC-B team, also known as the BCCI, need to clean up their image.
We love the cricketers.
Let us enjoy the cricket too. I will end it with the complete quote from Machiavelli:
“It is much safer to be feared than loved because….love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”
375 articles and four and a half years later, we are going back to our roots. Thanks to diplomat and cricket enthusiast—Michael Appleton to get me inspired and thinking on these lines again from this tweet:
To every 🏴 🇦🇺 🇮🇳 fan/journalist/former/current player complaining about the format of the WTC: I have a deal for you!
If you’re prepared to give up the five-match Test series that your three countries play, I can design a WTC in which everyone plays everyone the same amount!
That original article explored how to reduce the imbalance of the Big 3 (India, England, Australia) in WTC scheduling, but still keep the ‘marquee’ series like The Ashes or Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, it was a bit too unrealistic.
Later, I would research how much money it takes to host a Test match and realized that finances are the root of almost all problems in the world of cricket. In all sense of the phrase—It’s the economy, stupid.
Today, I will try to put all of these ideas together and form a combined thesis towards a World Test Championship (WTC) system that (1) can realistically work in today’s world, (2) is financially viable, (3) includes equidistribution of Tests for every team, (4) implements two Test windows, and (5) come up with a realistic value for a Test match fund.
Part I: Solving the Equal Matches Per Team Problem
One of the major issues in the current iteration of the WTC is the imbalance of the number of Tests each team plays. This is due to the influence of the Big 3 as well as the high cost to host a Test.
Current World Test Championship Table
Here are the number of matches each team will play in the 2023-25 WTC cycle:
22 – England
19 – India, Australia
14 – New Zealand, Pakistan
13 – Sri Lanka, West Indies
12 – South Africa, Bangladesh
We can see that the Big 3 play 5-10 Tests more than each nation. This is mainly due to the ‘marquee’ series like Ashes (Aus-Eng), BGT (Aus-Ind), and Ind-Eng.
How can we keep the drama of the marquee series alive but ensure an equal footing for each team?
Solution: Sweet 17—One Match Sacrifice Required by The Big 3
To resolve this issue, we will introduce the two-tiered relegation promotion system.
Each tier will consist of six teams including Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan (I mean, why give out Test status when you’re not going to have Afghanistan and Ireland play on a regular basis). We will show this by example with the current Top 6 rankings in the current WTC table.
Tier 1: India, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Tier 2: Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan
The Constraints
Once we had this framework, the next question was what is the ideal number of matches each team in Tier 1 can play so that (1) there are no two-Test series, (2) each of the six teams plays each other once, (3) there is an equal amount of home and away matches, (4) India-Australia-England get to keep their ‘marquee’ series, and (5) most importantly, each team plays the same number of games.
I treated this challenge as a Sudoku puzzle. And boy was this a tough challenge! (Photos of my scribbling with my earlier attempts are at the bottom of the article for your kind perusal).
20-matches? Too many. 16 matches? Not enough to satisfy all the constraints.
17? Ahh, there’s the goldilocks zone!
Here is the solution I came up with:
Each team plays two 4-Test series and three 3-Test series, for a total of 17 matches each.
The 17 Tests are going to be divided in 7-home, 7-away, and 3-neutral Tests, where each of the Big 3 get to host one neutral series.
The 7-home and 7-away matches will consist of exactly one 4-Test series and one 3-Test series.
Altogether, Tier 1 will consist of exactly 50 Tests.
Top 2 teams will compete in a 3-Test final series at a neutral venue (taking the total to 53 Tests).
The crux? India-Australia and the Ashes have to sacrifice the 5-Test series. I tried adding a 5-4-3 solution (one 5-match series, one 4-match, and one three match series, but it would require NZ-SL to play 5 Tests or the Ashes to be reduced to 3 Tests).
Two 4-match series worked out just right for everybody.
Tier 1 WTC Schedule Breakdown
IND
AUS
ENG
SA
NZ
SL
IND
X
4
4
3
3
3
AUS
4
X
4
3
3
3
ENG
4
4
X
3
3
3
SA
3
3
3
X
4
4
NZ
3
3
3
4
X
4
SL
3
3
3
4
4
X
Total
17
17
17
17
17
17
Legend
Home, Away
Neutral
Ind vs SL in Australia
Aus vs NZ in England
Eng vs SA in India
You can interpret the above table as follows: India hosts England (4 Tests) & New Zealand (3), play away tours to Australia (4 Tests) & South Africa (3), and finally play a 3-Test neutral series against Sri Lanka.
Tier 2 WTC Schedule Breakdown
Each team plays two 3-Test series and three 2-Test series, for a total of 12 matches each.
For this example, since Pakistan is in this tier, the UAE will be chosen as the neutral venue for all neutral matches.
Tier 2 will consist of exactly 36 Tests.
Top 2 teams will compete in a 3-Test final series at a neutral venue (taking the total to 39 Tests).
PAK
WI
BAN
ZIM
IRE
AFG
PAK
X
3
3
2
2
2
WI
3
X
3
2
2
2
BAN
3
3
X
2
2
2
ZIM
2
2
2
X
3
3
IRE
2
2
2
3
X
3
AFG
2
2
2
3
3
X
Total
12
12
12
12
12
12
Home, Away
Neutral
Pak vs Afg in UAE
WI vs Ire in UAE
Ban vs Zim in UAE
At the end of the WTC cycle, the bottom two teams from Tier 1 will be relegated to Tier 2, while both finalists from Tier 2 will be promoted to Tier 1.
Is it Too Much Test Cricket?
No.
Including the final series for both tiers, there will be a total of 92 Test matches in two years.
The first three iterations of the WTC had 61, 70, and 70 matches respectively. 92 here includes 12 Tests each for Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland and the two final series, which is pretty balanced overall.
The compromise for equal games for each team is that the Big 3 will play 3-5 Tests less than the usual, while the mid-tier teams will play 3-5 more Tests than usual.
In this model, we are asking South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand to host one 4-Test series in a two-year cycle, but do they have the money? Probably not (and that is why we are also having the neutral Tests hosted in India, England, Australia, or the UAE—countries that can afford it).
We had estimated last year that it takes a mammoth $350,000-$1.4 million to host a Test match and studied why teams like NZ & SA lose money while hosting a Test.
On the other of the spectrum, a series like Ashes can incur costs anywhere from $3-7 million. The cost depends on various factors such as technology, review system, support personnel, hotels, travel, security, etc. One quick example is Australian broadcasting using an 80-camera system for the BGT 2024-25 series.
Higher quality, but comes with higher costs.
Cost Estimation: So, How Much Money is Needed to Sustain a Fair WTC?
To estimate the cost of hosting the WTC, we will first presume that the Tests hosted by Big 3 as well as the two final series (3 Tests each) will be on the higher end of the hosting costs.
India, England, and Australia will each host 8 Teams (7 home + 1 neutral) for a total of 24 matches. The 6 Tests for the two final series will make it about 30 high-quality expensive Tests and 62 Tests on the lower end.
The 62 Tests will cost anywhere from $21.7 million-$86.8 million, while the 30 Tests will take about $70-210 million. Overall, a 92-Test WTC will cost somewhere between $91.7-296.8 million.
Where Will Get the Money From?
The ICC recently mentioned a possible $15 million Test match fund in the form of $10,000 minimum Test fee as well as a ‘touring fee’. That is a step in the right direction, but more targeted funding is needed.
In our WTC model, we are asking SA, SL, and NZ to host about 4 Tests more than they usually do and Afg, Zim, and Ireland to host 5 Tests each more than they usually do. That is about 27 extra Tests, which totals to $9.45 million-$37.8 million.
The ICC had a total surplus of $912 million as of December 2022 and have an estimated $200-$325 million profits in each of the last couple of years. Subsidizing the World Test Championship (WTC) with about 5-15% of their annual profits could solve the money problem.
If $17.5 million can be used to fund seven cricketers in a tournament that lasts less than 60 days, then surely $17.5 million could be found from somewhere (ICC + IPL + BCCI + sponsors) to fund six countries and Test cricket so it exists for the next 60 years.
The money in cricket exists. Just needs to be redistributed properly so that all interested parties are happy.
Note, from the current rankings, Tier 1 countries would include Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. All of these 3 countries are located in the southern hemisphere and hence, will host all their home Tests in the November-January window, including the coveted Boxing Day Test.
West Indies, England, and Ireland will host both their home test series between the June-August window.
Meanwhile, subcontinental nations (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE) can be more flexible and host one home series in each window.
Solution: Two 2-Hemisphere Test Match Windows
Here is how a potential two year cycle could look with the two separate windows without overcrowding the international calendar. We try to schedule Test cricket during peak summer times in each hemisphere to gain the most attention.
Test Match Window 1 Matches (November – January)
Tier 1
India in Australia (4 Tests), South Africa in Australia (3 Tests), India vs Sri Lanka in Australia (3 Tests)
Sri Lanka in South Africa (4 Tests), India in South Africa (3 Tests)
South Africa in New Zealand (4 Tests), England in New Zealand (3 Tests)
England in India (4 Tests), England vs South Africa in India (3 Tests)
Australia in Sri Lanka (3 Tests)
Tier 2
Bangladesh in Pakistan (3 Tests)
Afghanistan in Zimbabwe (3 Tests), Pakistan in Zimbabwe (2 Tests)
West Indies in Bangladesh (3 Tests)
Ireland in Afghanistan* (3 Tests)
West Indies vs Ireland in UAE (2 Tests), Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe in UAE (2 Tests)
Test Match Window 2 Matches (June – August)
Tier 1
Australia in England (4 Tests), Sri Lanka in England (3 Tests), Australia vs New Zealand in England (3 Tests)
New Zealand in India (3 Tests)
New Zealand in Sri Lanka (4 Tests)
Tier 2
Zimbabwe in Ireland (3 Tests), Bangladesh in Ireland (2 Tests)
Pakistan in West Indies (3 Tests), Zimbabwe in West Indies (2 Tests)
Bonus: Will West Indies Never Play India or Australia Again in this Model?
I know what you might be thinking.
If India, Australia, or England never relegate and West Indies never get promoted…are the days of the mighty West Indies versus the Australians and Indians over? 60 years of legacy down the drain?
Not quite. We have an addendum for this scenario as well.
One Optional Friendly Series Between the Two Tiers
If both teams agree (and there is space in the international calendar), an optional 1 to 3-match friendly Test series can be played between a country of the first and second tier. In our example, we may have:
India vs Afghanistan
Australia vs Zimbabwe (This is never going to happen, is it?)
Australia vs Pakistan
England vs Ireland
South Africa vs Zimbabwe
New Zealand vs West Indies
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
This can serve as (1) a practice tour (India playing Zimbabwe on way to their South Africa series), (2) a promotional event (India-Pakistan one-off Test in UAE), or (3) an actual friendly series to encourage lower-ranked countries to stay serious about Test cricket.
Final Thoughts
Is it the perfect plan?
No. In fact, there is never such a thing as a ‘perfect plan.’
But we can continue to strive for a more perfect system, can’t we?
At least it is good to see that World Test Championship (WTC) is taking flight. 4 years ago, not many took this as a serious competition or offered solutions. Now there is plenty of debate, which is good to see.
In 2020, I was quixotic with my outlook on cricket. Thought anything was possible.
In 2021, I was hopeless, doubting the system at every stage.
By the time we reached 2024, I became practical. And as we approach 2025, I have become a little more realistic.
Hopefully, this solution is actually realistic for the ICC and others in charge of cricket to consider.
****
Thank you all for reading! Comment below (or on social media about your thoughts and suggestions).
PS: Here is some bonus work on trying to find the ideal number of matches each team should play.
The 2024 T20 World Cup is around the corner and only question is in everyone’s mind—Can the mighty Australians be defeated?
In 8 T20 World Cups so far, they have won six, were runners-up and semi-finalists in the other two. West Indies & England are the only other two winners, although India & South Africa have upped their credentials recently in the shortest international format.
The World Cup has been moved from Bangladesh to the UAE, and Scotland are the newest entrants in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
The format? 10 Teams, 2 Groups of 5 followed by semi-finals and a final:
Group A: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Group B: Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, West Indies
I went through all 150 players’ ESPNCricinfo profile pages and accumulated this data so you don’t have to. Without further ado, here is a quick snapshot of what you can expect in the Women’s 2024 T20 World Cup.
Key Takeaways
Bangladesh & Scotland are fielding the youngest units (averaging the age of 25), while Sri Lanka (30) and West Indies (29) have the oldest average age.
Australia has the most experienced squad averaging about 66 matches per player, while Scotland has the least experience, averaging 33 matches per player.
India has the highest total number of runs scored (13,820) followed closely by Australia (12,163), England (11,769), and New Zealand (11,376).
West Indies and Sri Lanka have the highest total number of wickets taken (592 each), while Scotland (261), Bangladesh (302), Pakistan (389), and India (421) have the lowest.
Australia have won each of their last 10 T20Is, England has won 9/10, and New Zealand has lost all 10 out of 10.
Here is a quick statistical glance at each team separated by groups.
Table of Contents
Jump to the preview of the team you want to look into or predictions at the very bottom.
2024 T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup: The Ultimate Preview
*Note: The average T20I experience and average age are rounded up.
1. Australia T20 World Cup Preview
World Cup History: SF, Won, Won, Won, Runners-Up, Won, Won, Won
Last 10 Matches (Most Recent First): WWWWWWWWWW
Group Stage Opponents (In Order): SL, NZ, Pak, Ind
Australia Team Characteristics
Average T20I Experience
66 Matches (980 among 15 players)
Average Age
28
Total T20I Runs
12,163
Total T20I Wickets
568
# of Left Handed Batters in Top 8
2
# of Bowling Options
12 (7 Right Arm Pace, 2 Off Spin, 2 Leg Spin, 1 Left Arm Spin)
# of Keeping Options
2
Strengths
The Australian all-rounders are the envy of the world: Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, and Ash Gardner to name a few. Key to Australia’s bowling strategies, they are also the engine room. Time and time again, rescuing Australia or providing the big finishes. And in case any of them have to be left of the XI, Annabel Sutherland is waiting in the wings. Amazing depth!
Weaknesses
Will the lack of Meg Lanning leave a whole in the middle order? Also, how will Healy take the pressure of T20 World Cup captaincy? Also the heat in the UAE has been a talking point leading up to the makeshift World Cup in the UAE.
Look Out for
With the Ball: Sophie Molineux. Her spin will be crucial to keeping the run rate down in UAE conditions.
With the Bat:Phoebe Litchfield. This 21-year old future star is averaging 42.5 and striking at 158.38 in her 10 inning T20I career so far.
World Cup History: Round 1*, Round 1, Round 1, Round 1, Round 1
Last 10 Matches: LWWLLLLLLL
Group Stage Opponents: Sco, Eng, WI, SA
*qualified for the first time in 2014
Bangladesh Team Characteristics
Average T20I Experience
42 (619 among 15 players*)
Average Age
25
Total T20I Runs
4,944
Total T20I Wickets
302
# of Left Handed Batters in Top 8
1
# of Bowling Options
9 (4 Right Arm Pace, 3 Leg Spin, 1 Left Arm Spin, 1 Off Spin)
# of Keeping Options
1
Fun Fact: 2 Debutants in the Squad
Strengths
Sultana is carrying some form from the Asia Cup—48*(59), 62*(37), and 32 (51).
Weaknesses
After the Asia Cup, Bangladesh made five changes to the World Cup squad with Rumana Ahmed, Rubya Haider, Ishma Tanjim, Sabikun Nahar, and Shorifa Khatun dropped. Unsettled squad is not a good sign going to a world cup. Also the noise outside of cricket may affect the players. With the revolution in Bangladesh and the WC moved out from Bangladesh to the UAE, things are all over the place for the Tigers currently.
Look Out for
With the Ball:Jahanara Alam, one of the faster bowlers in women’s cricket, can she make use of the UAE pitches to the fullest?
With the Bat:Nigar Sultana. Captain will have to lead from the front if Bangladesh has any chance.
Expected Starting XI: 1. D Akter, 2. M Khatun, 3. Mostary, 4. Sultana (WK), 5. Nehar, 6. S Akter, 7. R Moni, 8. R Khan, 9. N Akter, 10. Alam, 11. S Khatun
World Cup History: Won, Round 1, Runners-Up, Runners-Up, SF, Runners-Up, SF, SF
Last 10 Matches: LWWWWWWWWW
Group Stage Opponents: Ban, SA, Sco, WI
England Team Characteristics
Average T20I Experience
60 (890 Matches Among 15 Players)
Average Age
26
Total T20I Runs
11,769
Total T20I Wickets
474
# of Left Handed Batters in Top 8
1
# of Bowling Options
12 (3 Right Arm Pace, 1 Left Arm Pace, 2 Left Arm Spin, 4 Off Spin, 2 Leg Spin)
# of Keeping Options
2
Strengths
Momentum. England have won 9 out of their 10 recent T20Is, although they lost the most recent one against Ireland—A team that did not qualify for the T20 World Cup. Another strength is the core experience in Danni Wyatt, Heather Knight, Amy Jones, and Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Weaknesses
The lower middle order has not had much of an opportunity.
Look Out for
With the Ball:Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell. Ecclestone has been at her economical best this year: 4.75, 7.5, 4.25, 3.88, 4.75, 9.0, 8.5, 6.25, 4.0, 7.5. Bell has taken 2 wickets or more in six of her last T20Is.
With the Bat: Sophia Dunkley is the next big player in England cricket. She has already proved her credentials in ODIs. Can he make her name in the shortest format?
Injury News
Squad: Heather Knight (C), Maia Bouchier, Sophia Dunkley, Bess Heath (WK), Amy Jones (WK), Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith
World Cup History: SF, SF, Round 1, Round 1, Round 1, SF, Runners-Up, SF
Last 10 Matches: LWWWWW(NR)LWW
Group Stage Opponents: NZ, Pak, SL, Aus
India Team Characteristics
Average T20I Experience
64 (959 Matches Among 15 Players)
Average Age
27
Total T20I Runs
13,820
Total T20I Wickets
421
# of Left Handed Batters in Top 8
3
# of Bowling Options
12 (3 Right Arm Fast, 1 Left Arm Spin, 1 Leg Spin, 7 Off Spin)
# of Keeping Options
2
Strengths
The opening pair. Mandhana is striking at 122.82 at an average of 45 this year with fifties, while Shafali is averaging 36.16, striking at 132.72, and has 3 fifties, including an 81.
Weaknesses
Potentially unsettled batting order. In the last few matches, India have had a flexible middle order, which can both be a good or bad thing. Finalizing Rodrigues & Deepti Sharma’s batting position will do India a world of good. Deepti’s finish in the Hundred final was one for the ages.
With the Ball:Radha Yadav. This tournament might be one for left arm spinners in the UAE, and Radha Yadav is no exception.
With the Bat:Jemimah Rodrigues. She has already played a T20Is at the age of 24. Strike rate is at the lower end of 114.26, but is averaging 30.5 with 11 fifties, the glue that keeps the batting order together.
World Cup History: Runners-Up, Runners-Up, SF, Round 1, SF, Round 1, Round 1, Round 1
Last 10 Matches: LLLLLLLLLL
Group Stage Opponents: Ind, Aus, SL, Pak
New Zealand Team Characteristics
Average T20I Experience
60 (891 Matches Among 15 Players)
Average Age
27
Total T20I Runs
11,376
Total T20I Wickets
549
# of Left Handed Batters in Top 8
1
# of Bowling Options
13 (8 Right Arm Fast, 3 Off Spin, 1 Left Arm Spin, 1 Leg Spin)
# of Keeping Options
1
Strengths
Suzie Bates. One of the greatest of all-time, Bates has given NZ decent this year: 43, 38, 16, 16, 33, 34, 19. Can she convert and play the match winning innings?
Weaknesses
New Zealand has been in complete disarray recently. Have not qualified for the semi-finals in the last 3 T20 World Cups and have lost all of their last 10 T20Is. The experienced Sophie Devine isn’t standing up consistently with the bat. Apart from the two fifties this year, she has scores of 17,0,9,5,12,4, and 5.
Look Out for
With the Ball:Amelia Kerr. Just watch her googlies. Talent for the ages.
With the Bat:Amelia Kerr. Also has a 232 in her name in ODI cricket. Can do everything.
Squad: Sophie Devine (C), Isabella Gaze (WK), Maddy Green, Georgia Plimmer, Suzie Bates, Brooke Halliday, Amelia Kerr, Eden Carson, Fran Jones, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
11 (4 Right Arm Fast, 1 Left Arm Fast, 2 Leg Spin, 2 Left Arm Spin, 2 Off Spin)
# of Keeping Options
2
Strengths
The Top 4. In the 3 matches Pakistan has won in their 10 matches, they have chased 87, chased 107 against UAE without loss (Feroza 62*, Ali 37*), and put up 181 against South Africa (Ali 45, Amin 28, Dar 29, Sana 37*).
Weaknesses
Apart from Sadia Iqbal (who has 24 wickets this year), there are no other standout performers: Nida Dar (13), Sana (7), Sandhu (7), Hassan (7), Baig (6).
Look Out for
With the Ball:Nida Dar. The stalwart is no longer the captain, but still the heart of the team. Has scored a few 20s recently, but can she convert it to 40s or 50s?
With the Bat:Sadia Iqbal. Another left arm spinner to look out for. Has taken 42 wickets in the last two years. Her bowling strike rate this year is 14.5, down from 22 and 24 in the previous two years.
World Cup History: Qualified for the first time in 2024
Last 10 Matches: WWLWWWLW(NR)(NR)
Group Stage Opponents: Ban, WI, SA, Eng
Scotland Team Characteristics
Average T20I Experience
33 (494 Matches Among 15 Players)
Average Age
25
Total T20I Runs
5,024
Total T20I Wickets
261
# of Left Handed Batters in Top 8
0
# of Bowling Options
12 (6 Right Arm Fast, 1 Left Arm Fast, 1 Leg Spin, 4 Off Spin)
# of Keeping Options
1
Strengths
Rising confidence led by the in-form captain, Kathryn Bryce. Scotland is coming off a win against Pakistan in the warm-up matches, a win against England, and most importantly, qualifying for the first time. Also, their schedule is in increasing difficulty: Bangladesh, WI, SA, and England. They may be favorites against Bangladesh and if they can surprise West Indies, you just never know.
Weaknesses
Lack of left handers in the batting order and no left-arm spin options..
Look Out for
With the Ball:Abtaha Maqsood, the leg spinner. Has been consistently among the wickets in the last 3 years, taking 9,10, and 9 wickets respectively. Her economy in 2023 was a miserly 4.86.
With the Bat:Saskia Horley. Across formats, Horley has been in tremendous form, scoring 100, 71, and 43 in ODIs, and following it up with a 48 in the T20 warm-up against Pakistan.
World Cup History: Round 1, Round 1, Round 1, SF, Round 1, Round, SF, Runners-Up
Last 10 Matches: WLWL(NR)WLLLL
Group Stage Opponents: WI, Eng, Sco, Ban
South Africa Team Characteristics
Average T20I Experience
52 (772 Matches Among 15 Players)
Average Age
27
Total T20I Runs
8,733
Total T20I Wickets
352
# of Left Handed Batters in Top 8
0
# of Bowling Options
11 (6 Right Arm Fast, 2 Left Arm Spin, 2 Leg Spin, 1 Off Spin)
# of Keeping Options
2
Strengths
South Africa’s batting order is one of the bests in the world. Starting from the captain, Wolvaardt-Brits all the way down to Kapp-Luus-Tryon. Annerie Dickerson who scored 44*(23) in her last outing, might not even start since Kapp is back.
Weaknesses
Lack of left handers in the batting order.Also, how will South Africa cope without Shabnim Ismail?
Look Out for
With the Ball:Marizanne Kapp. As the tournament approaches the latter part, Kapp’s importance increases. Her ability to set the tone with economical spells up front can set the tone for South Africa.
With the Bat:Chloe Tryon. One of the best finishers in the game and a complete all-rounder, watch out for Tryon if matches get close.
The lower middle order. While Gunaratne-Samarawickrama-Athapaththu, and Dilhari make up a strong Top 4, if they were to collapse, Sri Lanka would have a tough time coming back into the game.
Look Out for
With the Ball:Udeshika Prabodhani. With 80 wickets at 22.41 average, it is a pretty impressive accomplishment for a left arm medium.
With the Bat: Cannot look past Chamari Athapaththu. In Asia Cup, she had scores of 119*(69), 49*(35), 63 (48), and 61 (43).
Ash Gardner & Georgia Wareham are both cleared after they suffered concussions due to a clash in warm up drills.
Darcie Brown has recovered from foot stress fracture.
Broken Dreams
Final T20 World Cup for the likes of Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy, Nida Dar, Heather Knight, Stefanie Taylor, and Harmanpreet Kaur?
Stalwart Jess Jonassen was left out of the squad even though Healy mentioned there was a small window of hope of her comeback if things change a few days before the World Cup.
Kate Cross and Tammy Beaumont, England legends and mainstays in the ODI squad, have been left out of the T20 World Cup squad. Shabnim Ismail had already retired, marking a few years of transition to come in women’s cricket.
BCD’s 2024 T20 World Cup Predictions
Finally, let’s get to the predictions!
Category
Team/Player
Winner
England
Runners Up
South Africa
Broken Dreams
India, Australia, Another Heartbreak for South Africa?
Most Runs
Laura Wolvaardt
Most Wickets
Sophie (Molineux & Ecclestone)
Player of the Tournament
Sophie Ecclestone
Surprising Factor
Scotland Wins At Least One Match, Sri Lanka Get to #3 in the Group
****
Thank you for reading! Comment below, what are your predictions for this T20 World Cup?
If you like reading about Women’s Cricket, you may also like:
That got me thinking—How expensive is it to watch cricket around the world?
To conduct this analysis, I went through the checkout process and attempted to buy tickets for different types of matches in the first 10 Test playing nations.
If you would like to listen to an engaging conversational AI generated podcast about this article, check this out.
Key Takeaways
England & Australia are the most expensive places to watch cricket (they also have the most opportunities to watch along with India). Ticket prices can range from $185-1400 in a season for England to watch a couple of days of Tests, a few County matches, a few Hundred & Vitality Blast games, and 2-3 limited over internationals.
On the other hand, in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe, a fan can watch matches for as low as $1 USD and can watch several games in a season for about $100 on the higher end.
Watching domestic cricket is completely FREE in India, New Zealand, and South Africa (both List A & 4-day). All you need to do is show up at the stadium (So GO, what are you waiting for?)
Cost of Watching Cricket: Most Expensive Places to Watch Cricket Around the World
We will provide ranges and consider a few different categories (if data is available):
Limited Over Internationals (LOI) – both men’s & women’s
Test Matches
Domestic Competitions
Franchise Leagues
For the sake of the cost comparison, we will be looking at General Admission ticket for Adult guests (in some countries like England, ‘members’ of the club receive discounted prices given that they have paid the annual membership fee). This analysis does not include member prices, bundles, or other discounts (or service/handling fees & taxes).
Note: These are ballpark ranges. Ticket prices may vary based on the match (for example, knockout and Finals matches may be more expensive) and the stadium.
If a spectator in England watched 2 days of a men’s Test, 5 County games, 1 men’s international, 2 Vitality Blast matches, 2 Hundred matches, 1 ODI cup, one women’s international, and 1 Women’s Hundred match in a season, they would spend (on tickets alone) between $260-$504 depending on the stadium and up to $1393.3 if they only chose premium seating.
Monthly Cost of Living: $1929
Average Monthly Net Salary: $3288.55
Annual Inflation Rate: 2.5%
Estimated Monthly Savings: $1359.55
Percent of Savings Spent on Cricket (Live): 4.54%-34.16%
*These economic numbers are for the United Kingdom as a whole, not just England.
Type of Match
General Admission Ticket Price (Adult)
Premium Tickets
A Day of a Test
£38-85 ($50.6-113.1)
£95-145 ($126.6-192.9)
Men’s LOI
£20-40 ($26.6)
£135 ($179.9)
Women’s LOI
£5-10 ($6.7-13.3)
£65 ($86.6)
County
£6-15 ($8.0-20.0)
£23 ($30.6)
Vitality Blast
£15-25 ($20-33.3)
£150 ($199.5)
The Hundred
£11 ($14.7)
£35 ($46.6)
One Day Cup
£5-20 ($6.7-26.6)
£37 ($49.2)
*These are ticket prices for non-members
How Did We Estimate the Ticket Price Range?
The international costs above are estimated from the upcoming England-Zimbabwe Test, India-England Women T20I series, and the men’s South Africa-England series, while the domestic costs are a ballpark number based on perusing several County’s websites.
Note: The prices for domestic price tickets in England vary vastly based on the County/stadium. For example, Kia Oval is at the more expensive side: £15-20 for County Championship matches, £32-40 for Vitality Blast, £40-85 for a men’s T20I, £18-30 for a women’s T20I, and £85-145 for a Test match.
Other Costs: Car Parking (£5+), Guided Tours: (£0-30), Full Season Membership (£240-270), Food, Drinks, Concessions (varies)
Where To Buy Tickets: Tickets can be purchased on the County, stadium, or ECB website. For international matches, you have to enter a ballot and hence, may not be guaranteed a ticket if there is high demand.
If a cricket fan in Australia went to watch 2 days of a men’s Test, 1 ODI, 1 Sheffield Shield match, 2 BBL matches, one women’s international, and 1 WBBL match in a season, they would spend (on tickets alone) at least $180 AUD ($122.6 USD)and as much as $900 $(613 USD) if they chose the premium seating.
Monthly Cost of Living: $1,944
Average Monthly Net Salary: $3,819.73
Annual Inflation Rate: 3.5%
Estimated Monthly Savings: $1875.73
Percent of Savings Spent on Cricket (Live):2.2%-10.89%
Day 4 Tickets: For the Boxing Day Test MCG, the General Admission has a starting price for $30 with reserve stands as high as $85.
Type of Match
General Admission Ticket Price (Adult)
Premium Tickets/Lounge/SkyDeck
A Day of a Test
$30 AUD ($20.4 USD)
$170 AUD ($115.8 USD)
Men’s LOI
$30 ($20.4)
$170 ($115.8)
Women’s LOI
$20 ($13.6)
Domestic Cricket
$10 ($6.8)
Franchise Cricket(BBL)
$27.5 ($18.7)
$165 ($112.4)
WBBL
$10 ($6.8)
*Note: For some Tests (for example, Adelaide BGT, there are ‘Twilight Adult’ prices if the entry is after 5 PM at a discounted price of $22.5).
Watching 2 days of a Test, 2 SuperSmash matches, a men’s limited overs game, and a women’s limited over game can cost anywhere between $109 to $160 in a season.
Monthly Cost of Living: $1782
Average Monthly Net Salary: $3156.96
Annual Inflation Rate: 3.1%
Estimated Monthly Savings: $1,374.96
Percent of Savings Spent on Cricket (Live):1.96%-2.81%
Type of Match
General Admission Ticket Price (Adult)
Premium Tickets
A Day of a Test
$45 NZD ($28 US)
$70 NZD ($43.6)
Men’s LOI
$35 ($21.8)
$65 ($40.5)
Women’s LOI
$20 ($12.5)
Domestic Cricket
FREE
SuperSmash
$15 ($9.4)
*Note: A Test Match Pass (all 5 days) can be purchased, which ranges from $145-220 NZD.
Entry to Plunkett Shield (first class) and Ford Trophy (List A) are free.
Two days of a men’s Test, 1 Men’s ODI, 1 Women’s ODI, and 2 SA20 matches in Bangladesh would cost a spectator somewhere in the range of $44-89 in one season.
Monthly Cost of Living: $974
Average Monthly Net Salary: $1446.04
Annual Inflation Rate: 4.9%
Estimated Monthly Savings: $472.04
Percent of Savings Spent on Cricket (Live):3.1%-6.3%
In India, watching 2 days of a men’s Test, 1 ODI, 2 IPL matches, 1 women’s international, and 1 WPL match in a season, would cost (on tickets alone) between $30-140 on the lower end and about $294 on the higher end over a season. Keep in my end, that or certain IPL teams like RCB, tickets can go as high as $634 alone!
Monthly Cost of Living: $423
Average Monthly Net Salary: $633.49
Annual Inflation Rate: 4.6%
Estimated Monthly Savings: $210.49
Percent of Savings Spent on Cricket (Live): 14.25%+
*This is a bit skewed since population of India has widespread economic disparity. Those who can probably afford to purchase tickets are the only ones that would purchase those premium/VIP tickets.
Type of Match
General Admission Ticket Price (Adult)
Premium/VIP
A Day of a Test
INR 125-200 ($1.5-2.4)
INR 1000-2000 ($12-24)
LOI
INR 750 ($9)
INR 10000 ($119.8)
Women’s International
FREE*
INR 150 ($1.8)
Domestic Cricket
FREE
IPL
INR 700-5000 ($8.4-60)
INR 5000-52938 ($59.9-$634.4)
WPL
INR 100-500 ($1.2-6)
As per Hindustan Times, “Pricing is decided as per demand and supply, affordability, culture, and the eagerness of the people to pay” when it comes to IPL prices. Hence, there is a wide range in IPL tickets depends on which player/teams are playing and when the ticket has been purchased.
Here are some other notes:
Non-international matches are free to attend.
*The entry to women’s Test between India & South Africa was free, while the T20Is were priced for INR 150.
Long story short, watching sports can be a fun and expensive experience.
Final Thoughts
The main thought of writing this article was to answer the question, “Is cricket affordable for the common man?”
With rising cost of living standards around the world and mobile/TV accessibility of cricket, are boards doing enough to incentivize followers to go to the ground?
In general, cricket is not as expensive as other sports. However, if Test cricket is to survive, £95 Day 4 tickets is probably not going to help.
If the trend continues, cricket will become only an elitist game. It began as an elitist game, but do we want to keep it that way?
If you are interested in cricket & finance, consider checking out the following:
Have you ever seen Harsha Bhogle hit six sixes like Yuvraj Singh, hit a straight drive like the God of Cricket — Mr. Sachin Tendulkar, or bowl deadly inswinging yorkers like Wasim Akram?
I bet not.
Then how exactly did Harsha Bhogle become the voice and face of world cricket?
The tournament’s entertainment value is increasing by the day, but this World Cup is still missing two things — a thriller & Harsha Bhogle’s voice. Unfortunately, Mr. Bhogle has caught another fever, dengue, and has had to subsequently miss a few matches.
It is the days that he is not present that you miss his voice the most.
Okay okay, I know I am deviating. Anyway, back on topic. Where were we again?
Oh yes, how did Harsha Bhogle become Harsha Bhogle?
Did he take voice coaching lessons? Did he get a PhD in phonetics & linguistics? No, no he did not.
Harsha’s mother and uncle had arrived in India from Lahore on an army train right before the Partition in 1947.
He remarked in The Grade Cricketer’s podcast, “For my father’s generation, survival was important.” Just like many Indians in that generation, he grew up in a middle-class household. Both his parents were professors. So naturally, education was at the forefront of his upbringing.
Bhogle completed his undergraduate in chemical engineering and then went on to graduate from IIM Ahmedabad in 1985. He even worked in advertising for a couple of years after his education.
However, he did not forget his first love, cricket.
He had played Division A level cricket in Hyderabad along with competing at Osmania Nizam University & company teams. In Hyderabad, he had played with the likes of Arshad Ayub and Mohammad Azharuddin, a cricketer he would later write a biography of. (As an aside, he was once offered the opportunity to bat at #3, but said no. He was eventually picked for the university team but unfortunately did not make the XI).
The Greatest Weapon
Harsha Bhogle’s greatest weapon is his voice.
He found his voice during elocution & debate contests in high school. The ‘Eureka’ moment in his career came when he realized he could combine this gift with the love of cricket.
His broadcasting journey began with a 15-minute commentary stint during a Hyderabad vs Kerela Ranji Trophy match. Later in 1983, he took part in his first ODI broadcasting assignment on Doordarshan-Hyderabad.
By the time we arrived at the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Bhogle was recognized as the “sexiest voice on radio.”
“I didn’t look like a model, I didn’t play a 100 Test matches. There was lots of things I wasn’t. So, I didn’t have the option to say ‘No’ to anything…When you say ‘Yes,’ it’s a fantasy world. You don’t know where you will go when you say yes.”
From All India Radio & the BBC to Kutti Stories with Ravichandran Ashwin & Cricbuzz Live, Bhogle’s evolution is his mark of success. Sometimes he is having fun with Gaurav Kapur & Joy Bhattacharya, while at others, he is critically analyzing the state of world cricket with Ian Bishop, Nasser Hussain, and Mike Atherton.
To hone his skills and stay relevant in the broadcasting world, he did anything and everything. He has covered matches in makeshift commentary boxes in Hyderabad, written for several newspapers, transitioned to radio, become the face of cricket during live television, conducted quiz shows, talked about mental health, given inspirational speeches to the next generation, written books, interviewed the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, and has done a heck of a lot more. Bhogle’s multilingual background aided in his evolution as a broadcaster. He wrote magazine columns in Marathi, took broadcasting assignments in English, interviewed in Hindi, and joked in Hyderabadi.
Throughout his career, he has interviewed Sir Garfield Sobers, heard memorable stories from another great Indian commentator, AFS Talyarkhan, and possibly most importantly, covered the career of Sachin Tendulkar.
The Voice That Propelled Sachin Tendulkar
An article on Harsha Bhogle is incomplete without a mention of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Even Ian Bishop took a step aside when Harsha concluded one of the great careers in one of the legendary segments of cricket commentary.
“This is an indicator what one man meant to a nation. With Tendulkar, it was not just cricket…He’s been a good man, apart from being a great cricketer, Tendulkar…Tendulkar meant to India more than just the numbers. It’s as if Tendulkar was born to be great and everyone just looked after him. Everyone in Indian cricket, in Mumbai cricket, looked after him. Everyone will have their own Tendulkar story to tell…Those 22 yards made that little boy from Bandra the legend that he became.
Without the voice of Bhogle, Sachin’s shots might not have been heard around the world.
What Characteristics Makes Harsha Bhogle Good?
Bhogle often says that for broadcasting metrics, “Chappell is my guru for work ethic.”
He prepares for each interview, writes down notes, talks to Simon Taufel to understand the rulebook, and draws from the wisdom of other cricketers to understand how to analyze techniques and read the pitch conditions.
He continues to learn and innovate. Not many would have the courage to dive into the world of Twitter, YouTube, and podcasts. He keeps on learning. But that’s how he has managed to stay relevant in the industry for over four decades. Two of his own quotes describe him best,
“The day you think you know everything in life, you’ve descended already. You’re gone.”
“Sometimes, we wait for the big things to happen in life…Be happy with small times….But don’t wait for the big thing to happen.”
Final Thoughts
When things are all said and done, what will I remember the most about Harsha Bhogle?
Along with the voice, came the infectious personality — the expressions, inflections in the voice, historical references, the smile, research into players’ backgrounds, and the contrast between serious bits & humor. He talks mostly about cricket but speaks with an open mind.
As cricket fans, we like to talk about our cricket heroes, the greatest Test match players, and the best World Cup finishes.
Sometimes, we should sit back and appreciate the people who make the cricket community great — The commentators, the umpires, the ground staff, the security staff, administrators, and many other individuals behind the scenes.
I will leave you all with this quote by American poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou:
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
And Harsha Bhogle did exactly that. He provided us with the little moments of joy to live by.
New Zealand Cricket World Cup 2023 Squad Breakdown – Here is everything you need to know.
The finalists from the last two editions, can they go one step further this time around?
Let’s dive right in.
Key Takeaways from New Zealand’s World Cup 2023 ODI Squad Announcement
The average age of New Zealand’s 2023 Cricket World Cup squad is 30.67. New Zealand have a slightly aged squad with 12 out of the 15 members over the age of 30. Only Rachin Ravinda (23), Glenn Phillips (26), and Mark Chapman (29) are on the younger spectrum.
The 15-member New Zealand’s World Cup squad has average ODI experience of 69 matches (1022 ODIs among 15 players).
New Zealand’s’ squad composition is as follows: 5 proper batters (Glenn Phillips & Williamson with the part-time spin as well) 5 all-rounders, and 5 proper bowling options. In total, New Zealand has 12 bowling options (2 off spin, 3 left arm spin, 1 leg break, 1 left arm pace, and 5 right arm pace) in their squad if absolutely needed.
New Zealand have 6 left-handed batting options (Latham, Conway, Chapman, Santner, Neesham, Ravindra) and three wicketkeeping options.
New Zealand Cricket World Cup Team at a Glance
Player
Role
Age
Kane Williamson
Batter/Off spin
33
Tom Latham
Batter/Wicketkeeper
31
Devon Conway
Batter/Wicketkeeper
32
Glenn Phillips
Batter/Wicketkeeper/Spinner
26
Will Young
Batter
30
Mark Chapman
Allrounder/Left Arm Spin
29
Daryl Mitchell
Allrounder/Right Arm Medium Pace
32
James Neesham
Allrounder/Right Arm Medium Pace
32
Rachin Ravindra
Allrounder/Left Arm Spin
23
Mitchell Santner
Allrounder/Left Arm Spin
31
Trent Boult
Left Arm Pace
34
Lockie Ferguson
Right Arm Pace
32
Matt Henry
Right Arm Pace
31
Ish Sodhi
Right Arm Leg Spin
30
Tim Southee
Right Arm Pace
34
New Zealand Cricket World Cup 2023 Potential XI
Devon Conway
Will Young
Kane Williamson (C)
Glenn Phillips
Tom Latham (WK/VC)
Daryl Mitchell
Mitchell Santner
Tim Southee
Matt Henry
Trent Boult
Ish Sodhi
Injury News
Tim Southee & Kane Williamson (ACL) are nursing injuries.
Kyle Jamieson has recently comeback from back injury. He is not officially a reserve but has been called up as cover in case Tim Southee does not recover in time.
Michael Bracewell is out indefinitely due to ACL injury.
Adam Milne was ruled out due to hamstring injury.
5 New Zealand Players Who Were Unlucky to Miss Out
Finn Allen, Henry Nicholls, Michael Bracewell, Adam Milne, Kyle Jamieson
Other players who have played for NZ recently but did not make the cut: Dean Foxcroft, Tom Blundell, Cole McConchie
Honorable Mention: Martin Guptill (Has been active in T20 leagues but has not played for NZ recently)
2 Surprise Picks for New Zealand’s World Cup Squad
Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman
New Zealand World Cup 2023 Squad – Complete List of Players
Today we discuss the batters with the most runs in a single World Cup. Can anyone break Sachin Tendulkar’s record?
Let’s get straight into it.
Key Takeaways
Sachin Tendulkar scored the most runs in a single World Cup – 673 runs in the 2003 CWC. He is followed closely by Matthew Hayden (659 in 2007), Rohit Sharma (648 in 2019), and David Warner (647 in 2019).
Among batters with 450+ runs in a single tournament, Martin Crowe (114.00 average) in 1992 and Kumar Sangakkara (108.20) in 2015 had the highest average.
Sachin Tendulkar appears in this list thrice (2003, 1996, and 2011) while Kumar Sangakkara features twice (2015 & 2011).
There were many prolific performances in the 2019 CWC, yielding 9 450+ scores. The 2019 CWC was followed by 2007 CWC (7 450+ scores), 2011 & 2015 (3), 1996 & 2003 (2), and 1987, 1992, & 1999 (1).
In this group, AB De Villiers had (by far) the best strike rate – 144.31 (His 162* off 66 balls kind of skews the result). Other batters with 100+ SR are Kumar Sangakkara (105.87), Martin Guptill (104.58), Adam Gilchrist (103.89), Aaron Finch (102.01), and Matthew Hayden (101.07).
*Aravinda de Silva struck at 107.69 for his 448 runs & Jason Roy hit 443 runs at 115.36.
At a Glance: Most Runs in a Single World Cup Tournament: The Top 10
Player
Runs
World Cup
Sachin Tendulkar
673
2003
Matthew Hayden
659
2007
Rohit Sharma
648
2019
David Warner
647
2019
Shakib Al Hasan
606
2019
Kane Williamson
578
2019
Mahela Jayawardene
548
2007
Martin Guptill
547
2015
Kumar Sangakkara
541
2015
Ricky Ponting
539
2007
Evolution of the Most Runs in a Single World Cup (1975-2023)
1975: Glenn Turner (New Zealand) – 333
1979: Gordon Greenidge (West Indies) – 253
1983: David Gower (England) – 384
1987: Graham Gooch (England) – 471
1992: Martin Crowe (New Zealand) – 456
1996: Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 523
1999: Rahul Dravid (India) – 461
2003: Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 673
2007: Matthew Hayden (Australia) – 659
2011: Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) – 500
2015: Martin Guptill (New Zealand) – 547
2019: Rohit Sharma (India) – 648
Top 28 Most Runs in a Single ODI Cricket World Cup
The filter of 450 World Cup runs cut-off yielded 28 instances. Here are all the details.
1. Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 673 Runs, 2003 ODI World Cup
Who has scored the most runs in a single ODI Cricket World Cup?
Sachin Tendulkar scored the most runs in a single World Cup – 673 runs in the 2003 CWC. He is followed closely by Matthew Hayden (659 in 2007), Rohit Sharma (658 in 2019), and David Warner (647 in 2019).
Who has the highest World Cup average for batters scoring over 450 runs?
Martin Crowe (114.00 average) in 1992 and Kumar Sangakkara (108.20) in 2015 had the best average among this group.
