No contracts until a fresh MOU is worked out, reveals Australia's Mitchell Starc

Australian speedster Mitchell Starc revealed that Australia’s top-notch players are not prepared to consider Cricket Australia’s multi-year contract which could lure them away from the IPL. Starc confirmed that until Cricket Australia comes up with a new deal, the Australian Cricketers’ Association will not mull over skipping the IPL.

CA’s team performance manager Pat Howard had personally spoken to five of Australia’s most valuable players regarding the board’s proposal. Mitchell Starc, along with captain Steven Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins had a word with Howard. He offered the players a three-year contract in exchange for giving up the prospect of taking part in the annual T20 tournament in India during the players’ official leave period.

Starc is currently undergoing the final stages of his rehabilitation. The left-arm pacer had fractured his foot during the riveting Bengaluru Test between India and Australia earlier this year. He is due to leave with the Australian cricket team for next month’s Champions Trophy in England.

Upon being asked whether he was offered a multi-year contract, Mitchell Starc answered, “that’s what it says in the papers”. Nevertheless, he went on to add that he wasn’t interested in taking the matter forward until the current pay talks are settled.

“It wasn’t in the discussions this year when I decided to pull out [of the IPL], going forward it’s between the ACA and CA to come up with an MoU first and foremost, and then we’ll talk about contracts once that’s done,” Starc said.

“That’s what the ACA are there for and we’ve got full confidence in them. We have discussions with them from time to time with different stages of the discussions between CA and the ACA. But the ACA definitely have the full support of the male and female groups and that’s where it stands at this stage,” he added.

The current MoU between the players and the board will expire in around 6 weeks before the two parties begin to discuss how the next agreement will take shape. While the ACA is insistent on keeping the current model of fixed revenue percentage, Cricket Australia wish to do away with this model and replace it with a new agreement. If a new MoU isn’t put in place by the stipulated deadline, the current agreement will have to stay put for another year.

The other more extreme option will see players deal with CA on a series-by-series basis. As it is, players have been reluctant to take part in promotional events for the home Ashes series since a fresh MoU hasn’t been tabled. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association are scheduled to meet on Friday to take matters forward.