Beth Mooney calls for equal pay in The Hundred, happy with exposure, fan base, quality of tournament

Australia opener Beth Mooney made her return to The Hundred after a gap of a year. Manchester Originals broke the bank and signed the cricketer in the player’s draft on a £50,000 deal, making her one of the most expensive players in the Women’s Hundred. Although the sum is significantly higher than what it was in 2023 (£31,250), Mooney wasn’t happy and called for equal pay for men and women in global competitions. 

The top-tier men’s salary in The Hundred stands at £125,000, which is what Mooney expects the women cricketers to earn as well. Notably, the star batter earns £200,000 in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) which is significantly higher than what she earns in England’s premier competition. Despite the salary structure, Mooney is happy with the exposure, fan base and most importantly, with the quality of the tournament.

“I'm not sure it's quite equal billing, because the men still get paid more. But yeah, in terms of the exposure, and the fan base, and the quality of the tournament, it's certainly up there with one of the best going around. It's doing a great job with getting more opportunities for women in this country to play cricket but, as with any women's sport, we're not quite there with equal billing,” Mooney told ESPNcricinfo during a KP Snacks event at Cheetham Hill.

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Remuneration piece is always tough, we've got to keep pushing boundaries: Mooney

In 2023, a report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) recommended ECB to offer the same salary to men and women in The Hundred by 2025. However, the board asked for a delay, citing that the commercial and media value of women’s cricket was much less than that of men’s.

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“I don't know if it's quite an achievable goal. The men obviously bring in a lot of revenue across the world, in terms of the viewership and the broadcast and things like that, so the remuneration piece is always a bit of a tough one. But we've got to keep pushing the boundaries a bit,” she added.