India’s men’s and women’s teams to receive equal pay, says cricket board’s Jay Shah

India’s men’s and women’s national cricket teams will be paid the same appearance fee to represent their country, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah said on Thursday.

“We are implementing pay equity policy for our contracted BCCI women cricketers,” Shaw wrote in a post on Twitter. “The match fee for both men and women cricketers will be same as we move into a new era of gender equality in Indian cricket.

“The BCCI women cricketers will be paid the same match fee as their male counterparts. Pay equity was my commitment to our women cricketers and I thank the Apex Council for their support.”

Shah said women’s cricketers would be paid the same fees as their male counterparts — 1,500,000 Indian rupees ($18,225) for tests, 600,000 INR for one-day internationals and 300,000 INR for Twenty20 internationals.

Earlier this year, the BCCI said a fully fledged women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) could begin as early as next year. Former India women team captain Mithali Raj said it was a “historic” decision. “The pay equity policy along with the WIPL next year, we are ushering into a new era for women’s cricket in India,” Raj wrote on Twitter.

Captain of the Indian women’s cricket team Harmanpreet Kaur and players Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues thanked Shah and celebrated the development.

The Pakistani Cricket Board has been making some moves as well. Last year, it introduced paid maternity leaves lasting up to 12 months for its female cricketers. It comes as part of their Parental Support Policy which is intended to motivate and support athletes in their journey to parenthood, through pregnancy and after birth, accommodating both male and female athletes under its contracts.

Captain of the Pakistani team Bismah Maroof announced her maternity leave last year and has only received support as she balances her career with motherhood.