Steve Smith remains upbeat Australian cricket's protracted pay crisis is almost over, but the skipper admits the prospect of an unprecedented Test boycott is still in play.
Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) have been locked in intensive and productive negotiations during recent days. Meetings ran late into the night on Sunday and Monday.
Talks extended into Tuesday night as the warring parties inched towards a peace deal.
The governing body and players' union are remaining mute but there is widespread hope an in-principle resolution will be signed soon, which would ensure this month's Test tour of Bangladesh proceeds.
Smith was noncommittal when asked about boarding that flight for Dhaka on August 18, reaffirming his side won't do it unless some form of agreement is signed.
"I told Pat Howard personally this was how things were going to be," Smith noted on Fox Sports.
"I'd like to (tour Bangladesh) but as we've said for a long time we need to get a deal done first.
"A deal hasn't been done just yet.
"There's still a few things that need to be finalised, some key elements.
"They've been making some really good progress and hopefully it's almost done."
It's understood CA and the ACA have found common ground regarding a raft of key issues.
Once the negotiation teams headed by CA chief James Sutherland and ACA counterpart Alistair Nicholson have thrashed out a Heads of Agreement, the saga will essentially be over.
CA's board, the ACA executive and players have to formally approve the document but that is expected to be a rubber-stamping process. They have been kept in the loop and are unlikely to scupper a long-awaited peace deal.
"The guys have worked extremely hard the last few days. I know I've had calls from Alistair Nicholson at midnight at the end of a day's work," Smith said.
"I've been talking to both Alistair and Pat Howard on the phone most days. It's been a long process and hopefully it comes to a close soon."
An announcement could come as early as Wednesday but both the governing body and union know they've come close to a deal in the past fortnight, only for talks to be temporarily derailed.
The previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expired a month ago, leaving 230 players unemployed and plunging the sport into absolute uncertainty.
The spat over revenue sharing has strained the relationship between administrators and players, with Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson both opining recently it will take some time for trust to be restored.
"If there's been any damage it can be repaired," Smith said.
Many players remain astounded and offended by Sutherland's delayed entry into talks, which came last month after repeated calls from the ACA.
Players boycotted Australia A's tour of South Africa last month because of the stand-off that has infuriated coaches, selectors, fans and sponsors.
Share
