LONDON: The England Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has more than doubled salaries for female players in the second season of the Hundred after the inaugural women’s competition broke records for attendances and TV viewing figures. Women’s salaries ranged from £3600 (US$4800) to £15,000 (US$20,000) — with a captaincy bonus of £1200 (US$1600) — in the 2021 edition of the Hundred and while prize money for the men’s and women’s tournaments was equal, there was a stark disparity in wages with the lowest-paid male players earning 60% more than the highest-paid female players. Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, had pledged after the tournament’s final was watched by a record-breaking 17,116 crowd that salaries would rise as a result of the success of the women’s competition, while confirming that the double-header model would continue to be used in 2022.Women’s salaries will increase by 108% across the board for 2022, ranging from £7500 (US$10,000) to £31,250 (US$41,500), with a £2500 (US$3300) captaincy bonus. Teams will have a £250,000 (US$330,000) purse to split across their 15-player squads, up from £120,000 (US$160,000), with the ECB’s total outlay on women’s salaries jumping from £960,000 (US$1.28m) to £2 million (US$2.66m).