CA and ACA settle differences, fresh MoU to be signed soon by cricketers

The long standing pay dispute battle between Cricket Australia and ACA has finally been settled. After months of discussions and negotiations, both parties have finally reached an agreement. The salient features of the fresh MoU will be revealed at a joint press conference which will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Details to be announced on Thursday 

It is been said that the in-principle agreement was signed on Monday after a successful meeting between Sutherland and the head of ACA Alistair Nicholson. Due to the latest development, the proposed tours of Bangladesh, India and later The Ashes will go on as scheduled.

Talks between CA and the ACA have been going on for a long time. The CA was hell bent on breaking up a revenue sharing model which was in existence since 1998. The cricketers opposed this move and both parties have been reluctant about their decisions. The existing contracts expired on June 30, which left more than 200 cricketers in Australia unemployed. The aftermath of this led to the cancellation of a development tour of South Africa as cricketers decided to call strike due to the non-existence of a contract.

With no resolution in sight, Sutherland called for arbitration in order to settle the issues between both parties. The ACA, however, suggested that mediation was the best way forward for all parties involved.

Focus to be back on cricket

This pay scuffle will go down as one of the ugliest incidents in Australian cricket. The CA chief Sutherland had earlier threatened the cricketers of unemployment but the cricketers were unflustered with the warning. The ACA had rejected the revised offer sent by CA twice which led to a break out between both parties. CA’s plan was to invest money at the grass root level to groom youngsters.