There are bigger HERE than ashes
Guy Williams discovers that Yorshire may benefit as Australian players stand their ground in dispute with their bosses
Yorkshire’s Australian Test batsman Peter Handscomb is trapped and frustrated by the increasingly bitter pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association – a crisis which, if not settled, threatens to derail this winter’s Ashes series.
Before that unimaginable nightmare happens, Handscomb and Australia are scheduled to play two Tests in Bangladesh. Failure to reach a deal – the old one expired last month – has resulted in Handscomb and more than 200 Australian cricketers becoming unpaid and unemployed. The breakdown in talks has also led to the cancellation of an A-tour to South Africa.
Victorian right-hander Handscomb, who scored two hundreds against Pakistan over the New Year, averages 54.27 after eight Tests and should be returning home at the beginning of August to prepare for Bangladesh.
Indeed, his last match at Yorkshire came this week with Sarfraz Ahmed replacing him at Headingley.
Picking his words carefully to avoid making matters worse, Handscomb said: “We’re going into our first month without pay as Australian players and there are over 200 players back home who are, essentially, out of work. A lot are rookies trying to make their way. All the players have 100 per cent faith in the ACA. They do an amazing job for us.
“Perhaps the Australian Government should come in as a mediator. Anything to get the talks going. The longer the dispute goes on, the worse it looks. We all want to play in the Ashes but know there are bigger things at play. As a group, we need to protect grassroots cricket, protect the youngsters coming up and our women cricketers must get the pay they deserve as well.
“We obviously hope that Cricket Australia can see our point of view so we can come to an understanding and there’s some doubt that Bangladesh will go ahead if there’s no agreement.”
Ashes selection would mean Handscomb facing Yorkshire teammates – England skipper Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and, possibly, Gary Ballance and Adil Rashid.
“We’ve had banter in the dressing room but nothing too hard. It’ll be nice to catch up with them and have a beer. It’ll be great to play against them. Joe’s a lovely man and has taken well to Test captaincy. It suits him nicely. From the times we have chatted and batted together, Joe’s got a level head on his shoulders and I’ve no doubt that he will do well in Australia, but we’ll have our plans for him.
“It will be a hard contest and we’ll get into each other’s faces a bit, but it will be all in good faith. We feel we can win from any position and no matter what’s going on in the game, we are looking to win and a draw is the last option. Australia have a strong mentality and a winning culture.
“I think it will be a close series, but, mate, I reckon we’ll win at home because any team are hard to beat on their own soil. Our quicks are pretty good. James Pattinson’s coming back, he’s done well at Nottinghamshire, Paddy Cummins is hitting his straps and staying on the park, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood do their thing and to top it off, Nathan Lyon comes in and plays his role by spinning it big and taking wickets. So we’ll be hard to beat,” said the thoughtful Handscomb, who has impressed Yorkshire with his maturity.
Growing up in Melbourne, he made his first-class debut for Victoria in 2011 and Test debut against South Africa in November 2016 at Adelaide, Handscomb is naturally thrilled at the prospect of appearing in an Ashes Test at the MCG.
“It’s going to mean a lot to me.You grow up going to the Boxing Day Test. There’s 80-90,000 there, so it’s remarkable. Playing in an Ashes series is