Ashes fears grow as pay row drags on: report
AUSTR A LI A’S cr icketers have been warned this year’s Ashes series could be scrapped, even if a new pay deal is reached wit h t he ga me’s governing body, reports said on Saturday.
Aust ra l ia n Cricketers Associat ion chief Alistair Nicholson has warned t he players v ia email t hat t he showpiece Test series against England, due to begin in Brisbane on November 23, is under t hreat.
Negotiations over a new memorandum of understanding between players and Cricket Austra lia have a ll but broken dow n, a lt houg h Nicholson and CA counterpart James Sutherland were schedu led to meet yesterday, Fairfa x Media said.
“If t here is agreement, t he next step would be the more intensive MoU and contract drafting period,” Nicholson told the players in an email seen by Fairfa x Media.
“Given past experience and the massive detail involved, this would take some time and still may not be completed with time enough to meet the needs of fans, sponsors and broadcasters invested in the upcoming tours and the [Australian] summer of cricket.
“I add that it is hard to conceive of any further flexibility the players could possibly offer in these negotiations.”
Cr icket Aust ra l ia sa id it was su rpr ised a nd per plexed by t he ACA’s claims but would not comment on key details.
Austra lia’s next series is a Test tour of Bangladesh in August.
While t he Ashes a re a l most fou r mont hs away, much prepa rat ion, i nclud i ng broadcast i nventor y a nd sponsorship a nd adver t isi ng dea ls, must be locked in far earlier, Fairfa x Media said.
It added that the players had thought the two parties had reached common ground since Sutherland joined negotiations earlier t his month.
Af ter months of negot iat ions, t he players and CA have failed to reach agreement on a new pay deal, leav ing 230 cricketers unemployed since the end of Ju ne when t hei r cont ract s expired.
In an esca lation of t he protracted dispute, t he players, t hroug h t hei r union t he ACA, decided to boycott this month’s Australia A tour of South Africa.