Trouble a-brewing down under: CA contract disputes

[Dr Cricket]

Australia might not have players for the Ashes.
and the players laughed off the suggestion that they would sign a contract so they can miss the IPL, heard elsewhere SA might do that as well if india don't play the boxing day test match.
it is actually laughable that boards think they can blackmail BCCI to have series or players in the ipl when in reality BCCI hold all the chips.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/c ... 97963.html

[rich1uk]

it'll be like 2006/7 when the whole ashes tour had to be cancelled because we didn't have a team to send

[Dr Cricket]

Tough one to pick a side, on one side the players want the same deal but at the same time it is quite obvious why the board CA don't want that deal considering the players will get a shitload of money if Big bash, CA contracts all rising.
if the revenue model goes CA can keep most of the profit, instead of just giving it as wages.
not really sure the players need the extra money considering they get paid a lot at the moment and they were going to get an increase anyway with the new deal.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Cricketers benefit from the system that got them there, so they can't complain if money goes into the grass roots or club cricket and the future sustainability of the game. I think they have a right to demur at executive salaries though if money is being diverted that way. Otherwise, I don't think 'we generate the wealth' is a reasonable argument. They have a right to step down from international cricket of course and let others take their place.

[andy]

Hmm i have mixed feelings about this pay 'crisis', on one hand, i can see why the players would reject a multi year deal for them to skip IPL...The australian summer dosen't fall during the IPL so the players should be avaliable to play that, and you can understand why the players would want to play it, therefore that deal dosen't work...however the players do need to respect that CA are effectivly their bosses, and to a certain degree do call the shots. There needs to be compromise.. The problem is in all sports these days, players have too much power, and it simply won't be reined in now because there are too many ways for players to make money without needing to play international cricket.

[Alviro Patterson]

Australia might not have players for the Ashes.
and the players laughed off the suggestion that they would sign a contract so they can miss the IPL, heard elsewhere SA might do that as well if india don't play the boxing day test match.
it is actually laughable that boards think they can blackmail BCCI to have series or players in the ipl when in reality BCCI hold all the chips.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/c ... 97963.html

If Overseas players don't have a No Objection Certificate, they can't play in the IPL. Without Overseas players, the IPL becomes a weak product. Good luck to the BCCI in producing a bowler who can comfortably hit 145kph.

The 2019 Cricket World Cup is one example where cricket boards are well within their rights to prevent contracted players from taking part in the IPL. I believe South Africa and Sri Lanka have an ODI series pencilled in as a warm up to the World Cup, as well as England v Pakistan. All test nations are capable of hosting ODI Cricket during April/early May if they want to prepare.

[andy]

would be fascinated to hear what FTS thinks about all this?

[bigfluffylemon]

Negotiations between Cricket Australia and the players' association (the ACA) have broken down, with the players apparently threatening strike action. For some reason Warner appears to be the players' spokesman rather than Smith:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/c ... 97963.html

Apparently the issue in dispute is CA's plan to carve up the current pay model, whereby the players receive a fixed percentage of the revenue generated by CA (ticket sales, TV rights etc.). The new model would see them as fixed salary employees rather than partners.

The squad is threatening to strike from 1 July when the current contract expires, and to piss off to play T20 in England or the Caribbean. They've also stated that the Ashes could be on the line.

Personally I think that's just posturing - the chances that this won't be resolved in six months is minimal, and CA would no doubt find some replacement players if the current contracted players do disappear (and no doubt an Australian second XI would still thump England at home ). But there are a couple of important points at stake here. Franchise T20 has given the players a lot more earning and bargaining power than they had even a few years ago. And as is being shown by the current diabolical state in the West Indies, top players are happy to become travelling T20 mercenaries rather than represent their country if they are not fairly rewarded for it.

One does wonder if this will affect performance in the Champions Trophy if this is still hanging over the squad in two weeks' time, but the Aussies are probably professional enough to leave off-field matters off-field.

[andy]

Can we move from the posts, from the other thread at the top of the page onto this one then please? Because there are some good comments about this on that thread..

[bigfluffylemon]

Sorry, I didn't even think to look in that thread. Apologies for the duplication

[yuppie]

Might this be a world series cricket situation?

Could transform the whole game again, with international cricket being replaced with IPL type tournaments. Might it follow the way of Football where the leagues are much bigger than the international game?

[Arthur Crabtree]

While I've only glanced at the issue, I get the impression the players have a point. They are not asking for money for themselves, but for state cricketers whose income will drop even while the game makes more money through the success of the BB. But the CA view hasn't been stated on the two articles I've read.

Myself, I'd get a little nostalgia buzz from England playing a team of little known club players, like in 1978-9 when WSC was happening. I can still remember that Aussie eleven (plus many reserves). And England won 5-1.

[rich1uk]

Might this be a world series cricket situation?

Could transform the whole game again, with international cricket being replaced with IPL type tournaments. Might it follow the way of Football where the leagues are much bigger than the international game?

think a few people on here speculated that the amount of money involved in t20 leagues could kill the game as we know it and with the recent BCCI issues and now this then we are entering dangerous times imo

the big difference between cricket and football for the way club and international games operate is football has a much more consistent schedule and international breaks are co-ordinated, that obviosuly doesn't happen in cricket and i dont see how it could work in cricket because of the seasonality in the different countries

to me the big question is can t20 leagues survive without the international game as its via international cricket that players build up their reputations that make them attractive to the t20 franchises and the fans in the first place

the other aspect is how attached are people to t20 franchises because of the turnover of players every couple of years, and how will the respective t20 leagues interact as i cant see the IPL wanting to play second fiddle to the BBL or vice versa

[yuppie]

The problem for cricket in Australia really is other codes like the AFL. The amounf of players required for the sport means that their is an easy income and career to be made from the sport if you are ok at it. 22 players to each match day team, with 18 teams playing in the top league. so each week at the highest level there is basically 400 top level proffesionals all making a living from the game.

Basically it means you only have to be an avergae AFL player to make a confortable living from the sport, whilst realistaclly you would have to be in the top tier of Australian cricketers to make a living from that. When a person comes to choose which sport to play, a lot of talented cricketers choose the AFL.

Here is a story of such a young player who has to make that tough decision. That player is Will Sutherland, son of James Sutherland, ACB's CEO

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/a ... w1tj1.html

The ACB needs to pay shield cricketers more so youngsters coming through can see a career in the sport. Perhaps BBL and the IPL will make it more lucrative for young cricketers and thus less players will turn to sports like AFL. But you always feel that the ACB is looking at the now, and not the future. ANd if its not to careful cricket will become even less of an influence in Australia with the rise of Football and other sports.

[rich1uk]

thats the other significant advantage India has with the IPL

its a massive market and very little competition from other sports