Cricket Australia "slashed" the cash on offer for its Big Bash League champion with the "bulk of prizemoney set to be directed into player wallets instead of club coffers," according to Sam Landsberger of the HERALD SUN. Last summer, the top five BBL clubs shared A$620,000, with the Perth Scorchers "reaping" A$300,000 for defending their crown. But that pool of money has been cut to just A$150,000 ($115,144), with the winner to receive A$100,000 ($76,763) and the runner-up A$50,000 ($38,381). Teams that lose in the semifinals "will walk away empty-handed." The prize money restructure is the "latest fallout from the pay deal struck between the Australian Cricketers’ Association and Cricket Australia this year." Men and women "will be rewarded equally for on-field success this summer," despite the BBL salary cap of A$1.6M ($1.2M) "dwarfing" the Women's BBL’s A$298,890 ($229,437). The new structure is a "big win for players," with men and women "achieving parity." The BBL and WBBL players are set to equally share A$618,000 ($474,395) in prize money. The A$309,000 ($237,197) in WBBL player prize money "exceeds a club’s entire salary cap." Stars CEO Clint Cooper and Renegades CEO Stu Coventry said that they understood "why the cheques were being rewritten." Cooper: "They've basically split it between the two (BBL and WBBL). You'd always love to have more money, but I certainly understand the reasons for it. You never bank on it -- we just want to get in the finals and win one, to be honest" (HERALD SUN, 12/14).
