Australia cricketers suffer in pay dispute, lose big on salaries

MORE THAN 200 AUSTRALIAN CRICKETERS (BOTH MEN AND WOMEN) ARE ‘UNEMPLOYED’ EVER SINCE THE TALKS FAILED

MUMBAI: The Australian cricketers have reportedly lost Aus $1.2 million in the first fortnight in salaries due to the ongoing pay dispute with Cricket Australia (CA). More than 200 Australian cricketers (both men and women) are ‘unemployed’ ever since the talks between CA and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) missed the deadline of June 30 to arrive at the point of declaring the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

According to stuff.com.au, the amount, as declared by the sport’s governing body earlier, has been pushed into the grassroots game.

Meanwhile, Australian cricketers Mitchell Starc and Usman Khawaja have reportedly found sponsorships from rival car manufacturers, at a time when Toyota has been the vehicle sponsor of CA.

Australia’s High Performance Manager Pat Howard had earlier sent an email to the cricketers warning them that new contracts will not be offered to them if they sign up with competing sponsors.

Till last weekend, no update of significant progress emerged out from talks between CA and ACA, as the players in the country remain off the field.

Notably, Australia A players had pulled out of the tour of South Africa, and now the national team’s tours to Bangladesh and India are in imminent danger.

In what turned out to be a positive sign from Cricket Australia, James Sutherland, the CEO, decided to join the discussions after spending a lot of time away from the meetings regarding the payment dispute.

Sutherland has reportedly had a few ‘intensive’ discussions with ACA chief Alistair Nicholson over the same.

“The increased involvement of CA CEO James Sutherland has been pleasing. A better understanding has been established on both parties’ positions,” Nicholson said.