Australian cricket's pay-talk chasm was laid bare on a feisty Friday, when a revamped offer was vehemently rejected by players.
Cricket Australia (CA) changed tack seven days before a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expires on June 30.
CA offered a greater share of international surpluses, included domestic players in its sharing arrangement and opted to increase annual pay rises to state players.
All of this was genuine progress when compared to the preceding months of the protracted saga. However, the sporting organisation remained adamant the existing revenue-sharing model was untenable.
That stance, coupled with CA's decision to offer individual contracts to players, enraged the players' union.
The Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) told its players to reject the offer, having earlier reiterated calls for emergency mediation at CEO level.
"The letter provided to players today from CA does not accurately reflect how far apart the parties remain," the union told its members.
"The parties have not reached agreement on many fundamental issues.
"The contract offers do not contain revenue sharing for all players, and are not what they appear to be."
CA officials were frustrated by the response. They were particularly unhappy with ACA claims that the governing body was withholding financial data.
"Full financial information was provided to the ACA in confidence earlier this week, and the ACA currently has all figures and scenarios that Cricket Australia is working with," CA noted in a statement.
The two parties are expected to meet on Monday. If they're unable to broker a new deal next week, or agree on temporary measures, then the sport will be plunged into absolute uncertainty.
It will mean hundreds of players are unemployed and leave a question mark over all future series, starting with next month's Australia A tour of South Africa but including this summer's Ashes at home.
"The players are completely united behind the ACA in these negotiation terms," skipper Steve Smith said on Friday in a video.
CA's chief negotiator Kevin Roberts emailed ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson on Friday. Roberts claimed CA had listened to feedback and was being flexible.
CA continues to insist its boss James Sutherland, who returns to Australia next week after attending International Cricket Council meetings, will not be involved in talks.
It is one of many points of contention.
"The ACA continues to search for ways to resolve the dispute. We are motivated by a sense of duty to the game and its players and frustration at the current process," ACA president Greg Dyer wrote on Friday in a public statement.
"In recent weeks, the ACA has effectively been 'negotiating with ourselves' to try to break through. This is clearly unsatisfactory."
Dyer noted a number of "common sense and reasonable requests" had been rejected.
"CA has only been willing to provide financial 'scenarios' and 'formulas', which lack the detail and scope required," Dyer wrote.
"CA continues to state that player payments in the upcoming MoU be funded by the revenue already earned by the players from the last MoU.
"The players ... continue to be taken for granted and communicated with directly via video or in person, contrary to their express wishes.
"The ACA simultaneously signs and honours confidentiality agreements only to read leaked confidential correspondence between the parties in the media."
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