The players have got to say yes to the arbitration, says Michael Clarke

What's the story?

Former Australian captain, Michael Clarke was seemingly unpleased with the response of the Australian players to the offers made by Cricket Australia. Clarke stated that it would be 'silly' on the part of these players to turn down the proposed arbitration by Cricket Australia in the ongoing pay dispute between the Board and the players.

Expressing his disappointment in the attitude of the players, Clarke said, "As a (former) player, I'm saying if a deal's not done by Monday afternoon allow it go to arbitration because we need this finalized." He emphasized upon the need of the players to seek a neutral ground amidst the ugly fall-out.

"I believe this is definitely going to arbitration, and I think the ACA would be silly to say no to it. The players can't say no. The players have got to say yes because they've got to play", he further explained.

He also stated that the players need to play as many matches as possible before the Ashes.

In case you didn't know...

Cricket Australia and Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) have been in disagreement with regard to the pay of the players. In response to the non-negotiable attitude of Cricket Australia, the players boycotted the scheduled tours of the national team which threatened to compromise with the commitments of the Board.

This ongoing pay dispute between the two boards left many national and domestic cricketers unemployed in Australia. Cricket Australia proposed an arbitration in the dispute but it was turned down by ACA.

The details

Cricket Australia pitched in the idea of guaranteeing a rollover in the contracts of the players in order to ensure that their upcoming tours to Bangladesh and India remain unaffected. However, it was not accepted by the ACA as the players believed that this can lead to significant delay in the resolution of the pay dispute.

Alistair Nicholson, the chief executive of ACA stated that he would still prefer to continue the negotiations with Cricket Australia and will give the final word by the next week.

What's next?

If the proposed solution is accepted by the players temporarily, Australian cricketers will soon return to the field.

Author's take

The conflict between both these bodies took several ugly turns with time. If the players agree to the terms of Cricket Australia, it will compromise with their demands of an equal share in the revenue as well as a fair pay to the domestic cricketers. On the other hand, if they continue to protest, it is bound to take a toll on their international career.

The need of the hour is that the players demand a fair word from their national cricket board which assures the necessary alterations in their contracts before they accept their proposal. At the end of the day, it is essential for the players to return to the field but they need to have enough reasons for the same.