The Hundred: England captain Heather Knight says gender pay gap ‘looks bad’

England captain Heather Knight has criticised the disparity between men’s and women’s salaries in The Hundred.

The gap in pay between the top men’s and women’s players has widened from £75,000 to £135,000 for this year’s competition.

Top level men’s players will see their pay increase by 60% to £200,000, while leading women’s salaries are rising 30% to £65,000, as part of an overall 25% rise across all salary bands.

In the lowest-earning category, men will be paid £31,000, up from £30,000 in 2024, while women will earn £10,000, up from £8,000.

“It’s great to see the overall pot for the women has gone up but it looks bad when the disparity between the top men’s and women’s salaries continues to grow when it should be coming down,” said Knight.

“There’s a huge amount of money coming into the game so we want to see that the whole game is benefitting.

“You don’t want that gap to widen, you want to continue to make progress.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been approached for comment.

Knight added the new tiered domestic set-up was an exciting time for the women’s game as eight professional teams merge with the men’s counties.

The 33-year-old has signed for Somerset in the new system and was speaking at the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) annual general meeting, where Warwickshire bowler Oliver Hannon-Dalby was confirmed as PCA chair, replacing Glamorgan’s James Harris.

Hannon-Dalby also said The Hundred salaries is an area for improvement to consider during his time in the role.

He said: “The salary gap got bigger this year despite the ECB saying it would get smaller, so looking to improve that in the coming year or two will be an important thing.”

BBC Sport has contacted the ECB for comment.