Cricket Australia is offering a very, very fair deal for players, says Adam Gilchrist

Speaking about the ongoing pay dispute saga between Cricket Australia (CA) and their players ahead of the June 30 deadline, former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist stated that the board is offering a “very fair deal”. The sticking point in the dispute is CA’s desire to overhaul the current revenue-sharing system that has been at the core of the Memorandum of Understanding for the past two decades.

To put in simple words, the central issue at the heart of the dispute is whether a fixed percentage of the revenue generated by the game should go to the elite players.

In the new deal, CA has promised a 58% increase in guaranteed payments, benefiting both men and women players. A total of 70 percent of the game’s revenue is spent on supporting elite cricket. Around 12 per cent is vested on supporting grassroots cricket and the remaining 17 percent for other costs associated with the game.

However, Gilchrist believes CA’s proposal have merit. Also, their cricketers have threatened to boycott playing for their country, leaving Australia’s proposed tour of Bangladesh in August and the Ashes in jeopardy. Thus, with the deadline approaching, Cricket Australia (CA) and their players need to reach an agreement on the MoU.

Speaking to Fox Sports, the veteran Aussie said, “I think Cricket Australia are offering a very, very fair deal for players.  No one’s going to go without and everyone’s growing and increasing. I do hope that they’re (players) thinking of the cricketer at the most important level, and that is the kid signing on for his first year. Because grassroots cricket is under siege from other sports, like the various footy codes.”

The greatest fear if the outcome goes the other way is, is the biggest event in the Australian calendar, the home Ashes series gets affected, either by cancellation or Australia fielding a sub-standard team. This has instead left critics wondering what the future holds if a deal can’t be struck.

It would be damaging not only financially but also to the reputation of Australian cricket. CA’s present pay proposal thus makes sense as it includes a significant pay hike and a revised revenue model that is more apt for the Australian cricket community.