Lea Tahuhu of New Zealand celebrates a wicket during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The White Ferns have progressed to the semi-finals of the T20 Cricket World Cup for the first time since 2016 and are guaranteed a big pay day regardless of whether they lift the trophy in the United Arab Emirates.
Last month the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the total prize money on offer for the tournament would be more than double that of the previous women's T20 World Cup.
The winning team of the 2024 edition would walk away with $3.86 million, marking a 134 percent increase on the money that defending champions Australia won in 2023.
For making the final four, New Zealand had already banked $1.1 million, which is three times more than they would have received for reaching the same point of the tournament last year.
The White Ferns play the West Indies on Saturday morning for a place in the final.
New Zealand Cricket said all prize money won by the White Ferns at the tournament would be shared equally by the 15-player squad. Had a replacement player been called in due to injury, the division of the money would have been different.
The splitting of prize money was the same for the Black Caps at major tournaments.
Teams that had not progressed as far as the White Ferns in the UAE were not leaving empty handed. All 10 participating teams were awarded a base prize of $185,605, a move the ICC said ensured every team received substantial support for their participation, no matter where they finished in the tournament.
The ICC said the historic prize rewards not only aligned with their vision for parity between the men's and women's games but also further elevates the status of the Women's T20 World Cup as one of the premier events in the calendar.
Tournament favourites Australia were knocked out at the semi-final stage beaten by South Africa. Australia were riding a winning streak of 17 games before the Proteas qualified for their second successive women's T20 World Cup final to be played on Monday.
Originally scheduled to be played in Bangladesh the tournament was moved to the UAE due to political turmoil in the first host country.
The next Women's T20 World Cup will be held in England in 2026.
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