Clarke calls for a quick fix

FORMER captain Michael Clarke has proposed a simple short-term solution to Australian cricket’s pay stoush, urging the warring parties to extend the previous agreement for 12 months.

Some 230 cricketers became unemployed when the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expired last week. There remains no sign of progress in the heated spat between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association, who remain deadlocked over the issue of revenue sharing.

This month’s Australia A tour will almost certainly be scrapped, while there are fears this summer’s Ashes could be affected by the impasse.

Clarke, speaking at a marketing launch for the Ashes, was the latest high- profile figure to express disbelief about the saga.

“It’s s--- for the game,” Clarke said. “What needs to happen is keep the current MoU for the next 12 months, and allow the players to get back to what they do best.

“Cricket Australia, the ACA, please go behind closed doors and sort this in private.

“The players want to play … let’s allow them to play while this stuff gets sorted out in the background.”

Clarke added it was a common solution to protracted pay talks during his 115-Test career.

“I don’t want the Australian players to be unprepared because they have been concentrating on something else; give them 12 months and let them concentrate on the cricket,” he said.