UNDERSTANDING CRICKET'S PAY FIGHT
What are they squabbling about? The existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) expires at the end of next month. Talks have been ongoing for months but they're getting nowhere because there remains a clear divide when it comes to the salary model. Players want to keep the fixed percentage they have earned since the first MoU was agreed 20 years ago. CA wants to shake things up, arguing it will benefit grass-roots cricket plus male and female cricketers. CA and the ACA both insist they're willing to negotiate; there have been a lot of claims and counter-claims but little meaningful dialogue.
What happens now? The clock is ticking. It's not unusual for pay negotiations to drag on beyond a deadline in any industry. CA and the ACA have the option of agreeing on short-term deals that would ensure players remain on the park for at least a tour of Bangladesh in August. However, However CEO James Sutherland declared CA is "not contemplating" such arrangements in a blunt email sent last Friday.
What is the best-case scenario? A new deal is agreed before the June 30 deadline. It would be a mutually-beneficial outcome, allowing players to focus on the field and CA to prepare for the momentous money-spinner that is the Ashes. There would also be greater certainty for state bodies and Big Bash League clubs, who could finalise contracts and plans for the 2017-18 season.
What is the worst-case scenario? Uncertainty still abounds when England land in Australia for much-anticipated men's and women's Ashes series this summer. Players won't be on strike if a new agreement, short or long term, isn't sorted before July but with so many stars out of contract and unavailable it would certainly look and feel that way. Players haven't seriously discussed the prospect of being unemployed instead of facing England at the Gabba but, equally, they've made it clear they will do whatever it takes to maintain the status quo.
Who are the key players ... apart from the players? Sutherland had actually played a minimal role in talks prior to his email. Former Rio Tinto managing director and CA chairman David Peever is understood to be driving the push to change the existing model. Team-performance manager Pat Howard is on CA's negotiation team and has served as the middle man between players and Peever. ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson and president Greg Dyer have been vocal in their representation of international and domestic players, both male and female.
What's next? The ACA is waiting for a formal response to its request for mediation. CA is not expected to provide such a response. Steve Smith's Australian ODI squad will soon assemble in England for the Champions Trophy, while the Southern Stars also start their women's World Cup campaign in England next month. Australia's best players will be available - and paid - for both tournaments.
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