NEW ZEALAND WHITE FERNS SPLIT US$2.3 MILLION AFTER WINNING T20 WORLD CUP

New Zealand's first-ever victory in the World Cup of cricket's shortest format was a massive surprise. The White Ferns had lost 10 consecutive T20 matches before beating South Africa in a warm-up match. That pre-tournament...

Members of the New Zealand White Ferns cricket team, which beat South Africa by 32 runs in the final of the women’s Twenty20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday, will split prize money of around US$2.3 million. That works out at around US$155,000 of NZ$256,000 per team member, a life-changing windfall for players who for years have struggled for years to achieve financial parity with their male counterparts.

New Zealand’s first-ever victory in the World Cup of cricket’s shortest format was a massive surprise. The White Ferns had lost 10 consecutive T20 matches before beating South Africa in a warm-up match. That pre-tournament success proved a turning point for New Zealand, which beat India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, losing only to Australia on its way to the semifinals.

South Africa ousted sixtime champion Australia in a massive upset in the semi in which New Zealand beat the West Indies.