‘Things moving in right direction for female players’

SYDNEY: Australia wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy believes that the women’s game will move towards equal pay as it continues to develop around the world.

The first steps towards that have already been taken, when under the 2017 deal, Cricket Australia brought both the male and female cricketers under the same base pay bracket.

However, there is still a gulf in the overall pay. Healy believes that with more and more opportunities available for young girls around the world, things are moving in the right direction.

“I’m realistic in saying that it’s the men’s team who are bringing in most of the money,” Healy told Nine’s 60 Minutes.

“And they deserve the amount of money that they’re getting, while we keep building our game.

“I’ve got no doubt that one day the women’s game will do exactly the same. There’s more opportunities for young girls and older girls like me to go out and play for their country and actually get paid for what we’re doing. So I think that’s pretty special.”

Healy is one of the best-known cricketers in the women’s game, and a household name in Australian cricketing circles. She was Australia’s Player of the Tournament in their title-winning run at the ICC Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean last year. She subsequently swept the titles at the annual Australian Cricket Awards in February this year, winning the Belinda Clark Award and the T20I and ODI player of the year honours.

The women’s game in Australia has made rapid advancements over the years, ever since the inception of the Women’s Big Bash League in 2015-16.

The tournament has attracted numerous women and children to the sport and is this year set to be played in its own window, independent of the men’s event, for the first time.

Australia is also set to host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup next year. The final is scheduled at the MCG on March 8 — International Women’s Day — with the hopes of attracting a record crowd for a women’s sporting event.