Last Updated on 19 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg is hopeful the contracting embargo for the Men’s and Women’s Big Bash League could be lifted early next week. He did however admit that the process had already taken longer than anticipated.
Now, with just over two months until the WBBL season begins, teams and players are still waiting for clarity after the delay. Discussions are underway between Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketers Association, and the states about the future structure of the competitions.
The talks concern changes to the players pay deal and Cricket Australia is also looking to attract private investment into the Big Bash competitions. A major concern voiced by prominent Australian male players has been the disparity between their earnings and what is available to overseas players in leagues like the SA20 and ILT20.
Also, local players have felt they haven’t been paid enough under the current system.
RELATED: ACA Halts Cricket Australia’s Big Bash Privatisation Plans
One proposal being discussed is to scrap the overseas player draft and to open up a larger portion of the salary cap to Australian players. But it could also lead to higher salaries for some overseas players who aren’t currently under contract.
Ben Stokes and Finn Allen could be hot properties if they become available but there are still several Australian players under contract. Still, Greenberg is hopeful for an agreement soon, though he conceded the uncertainty should have been sorted out earlier.
TODD Greenberg: “We’ve got a big season to run. We want to be as successful as we can.”
“We’ve got to unlock the contracting system pretty quickly,” Greenberg said to local media on Thursday while attending the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin. “I think there’s some final conversations going on at the moment, but yeah, we should have resolved it by now, so we’ve got to get moving.
“We’ve got a big season to run. We want to be as successful as we can. We’re just at a fundamental difference at the moment,” Greenberg said. “Australian cricket are strong believers and supporters of the revenue share model. I think it’s been great for cricket. It’s great for the players.
“What we’re not supportive of is increasing the percentage share that is. And so the ACA have put forward a proposal which increases it, and we’ve rejected that one. So we’ve got to find a way to get an outcome that’s palatable for both the ACA and us.”
Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird will take Greenberg to meetings with the New South Wales and Queensland boards in Sydney and Brisbane. The discussions will cover concerns both states have about the proposed funding model for the Big Bash League. The strategy is to sell off early positions in BBL clubs that decide to go private.
“Mike and I have sessions scheduled with the boards of both New South Wales Cricket and Queensland Cricket in the next few weeks, and we want to have those conversations in person before we return to the board in September to make a final decision. ” Greenberg said.
Both New South Wales and Queensland have expressed uncertainty about the proposed structure and how it will affect future funding of the competitions. Their reservations are expected to be discussed in the meetings with Greenberg and Baird.
Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania are believed to be supportive of proceeding with the privatisation process. The three states are eager to proceed with plans to market their clubs.
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