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Internet Desk: Australian vice-captain David Warner has heavily criticized Cricket Australia’s management of a pay dispute, declaring that this summer’s Ashes series will be in jeopardy if their demands aren’t met.
Previously, the 30-year old opener had claimed that there could be a potential players’ strike during the showpiece home series against England, which begins in November. He hasn’t backed away from these claims yet.
Ahead of the 30th June deadline of the current financial deal which is fast approaching, Cricket Association has declared that the contracted players might not be paid unless they accept a new offer.
“If we are unemployed, we have no contracts, we can’t play,” he told sources.
“We are pretty sure that they will come to an agreement.
But, as you know, we are going to be unemployed come July 1.
So we have to wait and see.”
Warner said beyond “a couple of emails” CA management had not engaged with its contracted players.
“It is only what we hear in the media and that’s how CA have been driving it the whole way,” he said.
“They have been using the media as a voice and we get the message from there.”
Warner again pledged his “full support” to fellow players and affirmed he is “100 per cent” behind the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA).
“They are doing a great job for us,” he said of the players’ union’s efforts in the dispute.
“From a players’ point of view, we are pretty vocal and upbeat.”
Warner added that he remains hopeful a new Memorandum of Understanding can be struck between now and June 30.
“It is a big thing that we could be unemployed, but from us, our job is to play cricket, focus on winning the (Champions Trophy) tournament and not let our country down,” he said.
After 20 years, CA is determined to stop revenue-sharing, saying that more funds were needed for the game’s grassroots, and that the offer it has on the table provided handsomely for players.
ACA (the players union) is adamant to keep sharing the revenue, as they believe that the system does not need fixing.
With no end in sight, the ACA has disclosed plans to form a new business to help male and female players directly negotiate sponsorship deals.
Establishing “The Cricketers’ Brand”, designed to manage and commercialise player’s intellectual property (IP) rights, was necessary due to “the uncertainty of all parties regarding IP matters should the players be unemployed post June 30,” it recently said.