Seven’s plan to stump CA in court case

A BRISBANE schoolteacher has become Exhibit A in Channel 7’s claim that the network has lost $20 million a year due to a Big Bash League which is second-rate.

As part of an explosive bid to terminate its TV rights deal with Cricket Australia in the Federal Court, Seven has identified the names of several unheralded cricketers, called into the BBL last summer, who they insist put CA in breach of its $450m contract.

Called up to fill the void left by a Covid outbreak, Brisbane Heat players Jack Clayton and Will Prestwidge are categorised by Seven as “rookie state cricketers”, while Lachlan Pfeffer is described simply as a “schoolteacher” in the explosive court action which has rocked Australian cricket.

Similarly, Melbourne Stars fill-ins Patrick Rowe and Charlie Wakim are respectively bracketed as “grade cricketer out of contract with Victoria” and “Tasmanian grade cricketer”.

Seven are adamant the players were not of a high enough quality for the BBL to meet the standard provisions stipulated in CA’s TV rights contract.

The network claims CA breached its contract to “include players of a quality and standard not suitable for matches of at least the highest quality and standard in the world”.

What constitutes an up-toscratch BBL player might be hotly contested in court, with cricket sources pointing to the fact Ipswich high school PE teacher Pfeffer was a fully contracted player for Queensland last summer and grade cricketer Wakim part of Tasmania’s full-time squad.

CA has declared it will defend Seven’s claims in court, standing by the fact it delivered all BBL matches, despite the challenges of the pandemic.