With the stalled pay talks between Cricket Australia (CA) and Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) not showing any sign of progress, the Australian players have decided to boycott the Australia A tour of South Africa which was slated to start next week. Australia A’s squad which included senior team players Usman Khawaja and Glenn Maxwell – was due to fly out to South Africa on Friday (July 7).
The players had previously threatened of the dire step during the emergency executive meeting in Sydney on Sunday. The ACA had released a statement stating that the players would not agree to tour unless a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ‘on fair terms’ was in place, and while any out-of-contract players thus remained unemployed.
Both CA and the ACA have been in discussion for quite some time now but with neither of the parties willing to accept the opposing party’s views, no conclusion has been reached yet now and the consequences are now coming to the fore.
Read More: (After A tour, India’s limited-over series under threat too, warns ACA)
The ACA announced the latest development on Thursday (July 6), stating that the players have chosen not to take part as a result of the ongoing stalemate over a new MOU.
ACA Statement:
“It is with great frustration that with no progress towards resolving the current dispute, Australia A players confirm they will not tour South Africa. This decision is made in support of more than 200 male and female players who are now unemployed and is consistent with Sunday’s ACA Executive meeting resolutions.
By making this call, the Australia A players have sacrificed their own ambitions for the collective; an incredibly selfless act that shows their strength and overall commitment to the group. All players are deeply disappointed at the behaviour of CA which forces this course of action, given the players would rather be playing for their country.
CA refuse to attend mediation or offer any genuine flexibility in the MOU negotiations. And without mediation, it’s hard to see how there can be the progress necessary to reach the agreement. The players want to make sure all men and women who play the game are treated fairly, and that grassroots funding is not drained by a top-heavy bureaucracy. The ACA again calls on common sense to prevail and for the CA CEO to attend mediation.”
What’s Next:
The focus will now shift to Australia’s Test tour of Bangladesh. The series is scheduled to start in August but is likely to be cancelled until and unless a new MOU is signed. The players of Australia A team have shown the way and the senior players are more than likely to follow suit.
The tour of Bangladesh is followed by a tour of India for a limited-overs series before England visits Australia for the Ashes series. David Warner has already said that the Ashes could be at risk of being affected and the way things are going, it is a high possibility unless a new pay deal is struck.
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