A bitter pay dispute between Australia’s cricketers and the national board appears set to remain unresolved by today’s deadline, leaving more than 200 players unemployed andthe upcoming series against Bangladesh and England in jeopardy.
Talks have failed to produce a breakthrough this week and relations have soured to the point that the players' union is refusing to deal with Cricket Australia's lead negotiator.
The Australian Cricketers' Association has demanded long-serving CA CE James Sutherland step up and help end a standoff that could trigger damaging player boycotts.
The existing pay deal will expire at midnight tonight, two days before players selected for an Australia A tour of South Africa are to report for a training camp.
CA has remained silent on Sutherland's intentions but high-performance boss Pat Howard has made the board's position clear.
Howard warned players on Wednesday not to sign with other sponsors or play in "disapproved" cricket in case it put them "at risk" of future CA contracts.
Australia's cricketers are among the best paid in the world, but CA says a revenue share scheme that has underpinned contracts for 20 years no longer fits commercial realities and is robbing the grassroots of vital funding.
"Cricket has changed significantly," former cricket board CE Malcolm Speed told Australian media this week.
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