It’s a win for women’s cricket on the whole and much of the credit rests with the Aussies.

One of the biggest pieces of news concerning the international game, one that’s a bit more than just the exciting draw that’s the IPL occurred a few hours ago. And rather interestingly, it had nothing to do with the men’s sport; as a matter of fact, this was a huge step forward for the women’s game on the whole.

It could be argued that few other things post the completion of what was a successful edition of the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup have been met with such stellar reception as this.

That the Australian women’s cricketers have earned a deserving and timely hike with the top contracted all set to earn approximately USD 666,000 a year is a winsome moment for the women’s game on the whole.

In an age where not a day passes by where we do not interject and opine on big phrases such as diversity and inclusion or rights, this step by the Australian cricket board is a statement. 

It’s beyond a meticulously constructed PowerPoint slide. It’s definitely not a poster rooting for change in the imminent future; it’s suggestive of a powerful development in the ‘now’. 

Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley was delighted by the bold statement of intent and purpose on the part of his cricket administration.

One can perhaps picture the already pleasant Meg Lanning and her teammates to have been sporting the biggest smiles ever.

And rather unsurprisingly, the big event that transpired on April 3 may have also prompted them all- whether Lisa Sthalekar, Natalie Germanos or even Isa Guha to sport big wide smiles.

But truth be told, the noteworthy pay hike is more than a huge step taken by a cricket board that is easily recognized as amongst the richest in the world at the moment; the other two hailing from England and India.

What Cricket Australia has done here is that it has rewarded and justly so a great institution of excellence that is its women’s cricket team with something that maybe should’ve occurred a few summers ago.

Truth be told, given all that they’ve already achieved under the inspirational leadership of Meg Lanning, there’s really no end to all that they still can given besides existing match winners in a Healy, Mooney, Perry, Gardner and Schutt, there’s a leading troika of McGrath, Brown and King.

Not too dissimilar to how the men’s side puts its heart and soul into preparation, the Australian women’s team plays every single contest with the intent of winning and importantly, as if it were its last.

Today, when you compete with Australia irrespective of whether who you are, whether India or England, West Indies or the Proteas, you fear the side.

Women’s cricket flying to new heights!

You know that playing mediocre just won’t do and that there won’t be too many chances that will come up your sleeve to put an onerous opposition under pressure.

The Australian women’s side have become ruthless assassins of nearly every single team out there playing with unmatched consistency. This spare-no-team-out-there philosophy only becomes more terrorizing when the stature of a contest changes, with a World Cup tournament replaces a bilateral series.

We saw that in the T20 World Cup that took place Down Under in 2020 just before the world plunged into a state of the Covid lockdown.

We saw that approach going unchanged just a month back when South Africa saw its ladies humbled in the finals against the mighty Australians.

What Meg Lanning and co. have achieved is a win for women’s cricket on the whole

Whatever Lanning and company have achieved is incredible and inspirational and they’ve bagged multiple ICC crowns in addition to the Commonwealth games’ gold as seen last year.

Here’s how noted Indian publication the Hindu observed this brand new chapter for Aus women’s cricket:

Payments for professional women will rise 66% under a new five-year deal between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association.

They will share in a pool worth Aus$133 million, up from Aus$80 million in the previous agreement, rewarding not only members of Australia’s world champion team but significantly increasing the value of Big Bash League and state contracts.