Australian cricket hits first stumbling block as South Africa tour nears

What’s the story?

The Australian Cricketers Association’s (ACA) rejection of the new CA revenue structure has left every cricketer in Australia effectively unemployed. Ahead of the July ‘A’ tour of South Africa that has big names like Usman Khawaja and Glenn Maxwell participating, the ACA decided to hold a meeting to decide whether the players will boycott the tour or not.

In case you didn’t know…

For months now, contract negotiations between the CA and the ACA have put Australian cricket in poor light. The CA wanted to scrap a 20-year-old revenue sharing model, where players would receive a share of CA’s revenue and replace it with a fixed wages model, in order to divert more money to grassroots cricket in the country, which needs investment.

The move was suspiciously before the new Big Bash broadcast deal, which was expected to lead to a huge influx of revenue. However, considering the channel that broadcasts the Big Bash is strapped for cash, this is also in jeopardy. The tri-series in South Africa, between India A, South Africa A and Australia A starts on the 12th of July.

The details

The ACA’s chief Alastair Nicholson has taken a hardline approach with the CA and has been backed by various Australian cricketers, who stand behind the ACA. The ACA has threatened a strike and an outright refusal to accept the new structure, despite a possible inability to fulfil cricketing commitments.

David Warner reiterated the possibility of there not being a team for the Ashes later this year. The meeting on the 2nd of July will allow the ACA to plan out the next phase in contract negotiations, and whether or not the A tour of South Africa will be boycotted.

The ACA had even planned to have unofficial matches in the meantime, to counter the CA’s authority, which led to them threatening players who participate with bans. Certain players have multi-year contracts, and are still employed while the women’s international squad is employed until the end of the Women’s World Cup.

What’s next?

This is a marquee year for Australian cricket, with a tour to Bangladesh, an ODI tour of India and a home Ashes series. Having studied the dire consequences of a similar rift in the MLB in the 90s, both the CA and the ACA will make sure that at most, the contract dispute ends before the tour of India. The Australian public has expressed its dissent of the ugly nature of the fight and it is only a matter of time before cricket gets hurt.

Author’s take

The ACA and the CA need to change their mentality. Firmly resisting negotiations and using underhanded methods to go about their business have taken them to this stage, escalating a minor dispute into a mass unemployment scandal. They need to sit down, work out how to meet each other halfway and get a deal made as soon as possible.

An abandoned A tour sets a terrible international precedent, and hurts their prospects of grooming Test and ODI hopefuls. It is a sad day in Australian cricket, brought about by the organisations vowing to keep it safe.