Staring into abyss with Ashes at risk
BEN HORNE AND RUSSELL GOULD CRICKET Australia boss James Sutherland admits the domestic game could be on the brink of financial devastation if there is no summer Ashes.
The cancellation of cricket’s pinnacle series is the worstcase scenario that no one has dared imagine could prevail, but Cricket Australia has this week conceded for the very first time that the threat is real.
When England comes to town the game’s coffers are filled to overflowing and CA has enough in reserve to compensate for the lean summers when the likes of the West Indies and Pakistan roll in.
That sacred urn is why sponsors and broadcasters sign up and why so many punters have already bought tickets.
Needless to say that a cancelled Ashes series would literally bring Australia’s national sport to its knees.
The logic that an Ashes up in flames would kill both administrators and players equally is being used as reassurance that Armageddon won’t arrive.
However, this is a pay dispute that has continued to escalate at every turn and if a resolution isn’t brokered by next week as hoped, CA may have to seriously start bracing itself for an end of days scenario.
Sutherland remains confident the summer of cricket will be a bumper one, but he concedes that there is no Plan B.
No Ashes would equate to CA having to bail out every major stakeholder the game relies upon, potentially to its ruin, which is why Sutherland is ada- mant arbitration may be required.
“… In short, the answer is I don’t believe that there would technically be insurance,” Sutherland said.
“There would be an obligation on our part to mitigate losses that would potentially be incurred by our commercial partners or other stakeholders in the game.”
The Big Bash League is another jewel in the crown that’s potentially in jeopardy if talks don’t progress this weekend and if the Australian Cricketers Association reject CA’s call for arbitration.
The sticking points are put simply – revenue share for players and grassroots – but despite this CA believes a deal can be struck in days if both parties continue to meet over the weekend, as planned.
CA has crunched the numbers and believes the grassroots of the game urgently needs a major cash injection in the vicinity of $187-237 million.
Sutherland says the players’ offer to provide $30 million isn’t satisfactory as it’s contingent on cricket’s revenues reaching a certain level, well above CA’s projections.
He is concerned players have been fed misinformation by the ACA.
In the past CA’s forecasts have regularly proven conservative, but there is a feeling the game is entering a time of increased uncertainty amid doubt over the ability and desire of television networks to drive up the price for the next TV deal. Sutherland is confident crucial support from commercial partners and broadcasters remains intact.