Women’s starting salaries in professional domestic cricket will be the same as their male counterparts from next year, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced.

The initiative is being implemented to persuade young females a cricket career is “enticing” and not simply “viable”, according to Beth Barrett-Wild, the ECB director of the women’s professional game.

It has also been agreed each of the eight first-class counties awarded tier one status as part of an overhaul of the women’s domestic structure from 2025 must invest at least £500,000 on players’ wages.

A salary cap of £800,000 has been confirmed, with minimum squad sizes of 15 contracted players.

“Equalising starting salaries across our men’s and women’s professional domestic game is another positive step forward for women’s cricket in England and Wales,” Barrett-Wild said.

“It’s important that our players are remunerated appropriately, and that cricket is seen not just as a viable career option for women, but an enticing one.

“Increasingly, every decision we take is about making cricket as attractive a sport for young girls as it is for boys.

“We know we still have a lot of work to do in this space. But we are moving at pace, and the news today represents another significant building block in the journey to gender equity in the game.”

The equalisation of salaries will apply at ‘rookie’ level, usually a player’s first professional contract, and at the ‘senior pro’ position for those who have established themselves in first teams.

Emma Reid, the Professional Cricketers’ Association director of player rights and women’s cricket, said: “This is a big step towards reaching parity and a journey that the PCA is fully committed to achieving.

“But there is still further work to do. With the women’s teams under the umbrella of the first-class counties, the PCA will continue to lobby for parity across all areas of the professional game.”