Prime Minister Mia Mottley Urges Equal Investment for Female Cricketers in the Caribbean

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has once again encouraged Cricket West Indies to invest and reward the region’s female cricketers in the same manner as the men.

Mottley, who first made the call while delivering the 22nd Frank Worrell Memorial lecture last year, used Thursday’s opening day of the CARICOM conference in Trinidad and Tobago, to once again lobby for more attention to be paid to women’s cricket.

“It is the young people and I’m happy that finally it is not just boys, but boys and girls who will become the men and women who can become these global citizens with Caribbean roots. My heart filled with pride this week when Hayley Matthews was heralded by Wisden as the T20 Cricketer of the Year, and it did so because Mr President, when you and I first met when you took over it was actually International Women’s Day, March 8, and I asked you then to start the journey of removing the discriminatory practices between men and women,” Mottley said as she delivered her opening remarks.

“Practices that go as far as the quality of the coverage and the camera covering the game, meaning that it becomes less alluring to those who may not be fully engaged purely because when you look at IPL and you look at the women playing cricket in many other jurisdictions it just doesn’t even look the same.

“That cannot be a metaphor for our own development and the fact and the obligation of removing the discrimination that exists between men and women’s cricket is absolutely critical,” she maintained.

The Prime Minister said she believed the time was right for a historic mixed-gender cricket game to be played in the region.

“I have said to you, and I offer you now publicly again, that Kensington Oval, that iconic ground, could be a location where we break new ground again in history by having a mixed-gender game, recognizing that in the Olympics you’re going to soon have mixed gender relays and we don’t need to wait on others to lead us, but we can resume the leadership in ensuring that as the game has evolved from Test, to 50 over, to T20, to the increase in women’s cricket, that ultimately that will soon be the next step,” Mottley said.

She said it was also important that opportunities be created for not only male and female cricketers, but for persons who have skills in other areas.

“We have an obligation to be able to level the field by the investments that we have to make in this sport, recognizing that not all may make the team and wear that maroon, but all can participate at different levels to make a living,” Mottley pointed out.