Mitchell Starc becomes the first player to sign with rival sponsor to CA

In recent developments, Australia’s pace spearhead, Mitchell Starc, amidst ongoing payment disputes and protest against Cricket Australia, became the first player to collaborate with a rival sponsor of Cricket Australia. Starc took the provocative step of aligning with a rival to one of Cricket Australia’s protected sponsors as the sport’s industrial war rages on. The players now are trying to rile on the sponsors of Cricket Australia with their association with rival sponsors.

Much has been talked about the ongoing fiasco between Cricket Australia and Australian Cricketers’ Association regarding the protection of revenue sharing model for all players. An emergency meeting was recently held at the Sydney Hotel and Australian Cricketers’ Association found support from the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA), headed by the likes of Graeme Smith and Vikram Solanki.

Steve Smith, who is currently on vacation in the United States post a gruelling season, also joined in the conference. Smith in a scathing Instagram post displayed no intentions of compromising with the Board over the revenue sharing model. But for the good of the game, Smith was willing to make important changes with the help of the ACA, to modernise the existing model.

Meanwhile, Starc is now associated with Audi as opposed to the protective sponsors for Cricket Australia who has nominated fellow car company Toyota for the 2017-18 season. Cricket Australia’s team performance coach, Pat Howard, already warned that players going for the so-called ‘unapproved endorsements, would end up jeopardising their future contract with CA.

Starc took to Twitter and Instagram to make the announcement public about his association with Audi. “The countdown is on! Bring on delivery day audicentreparramatta#SQ5 @ Audi Centre Parramatta” captioned Mitchell Starc’s post. The left arm pacer could argue about the fact that his contract with Audi was a pre-existing one as it was signed last week. However, his move serves as a stern statement to the governing body that players are serious about a fight to retain a share of revenue.

Here’s the Tweet