Gaur's giant step up in a seismic fortnight for the women's game

A £3,500 PAYDAY represents an unlikely windfall for your average 17-year-old, but had become the norm for England cricketers representing their country in T20 matches — so long as they were male.

- Malik Ouzia

Last night, though, that all changed, as teenager Mahika Gaur marked her debut with a wicket as part of the first England women’s side to receive match fees on an equal footing with the men.

Gaur’s impressive bow was the highlight of a 12-run victory over Sri Lanka in a heavily rain-affected First T20 at Hove and added to the feeling that the past fortnight has represented something of a changing of the guard.

The final throes of the Hundred brought the retirements of England greats Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Sciver-Brunt, two titans who straddled eras as part of the first cohort of female cricketers to be handed fully professional central contracts by the England & Wales Cricket Board nine years ago.