PAY DISPUTE SAGA

A protracted saga Australian cricket won't forget

by   •  Published on
Despite the eventual resolution, Sutherland is in the hot seat and his future appears under a cloud.
Despite the eventual resolution, Sutherland is in the hot seat and his future appears under a cloud. © Getty

Finally, belatedly, Australian cricket's ugly pay dispute is over. After 10 months of bickering manifesting in a continual petty public slanging match, Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) struck a resolution on Thursday (August 3).

James Sutherland, CA chief executive, and his counterpart Alistair Nicholson looked noticeably haggard at a somewhat uncomfortable press conference in Melbourne. With a deal struck five weeks after the June 30 deadline, there was little cause for celebration in a dispute that has fractured relations between CA and its players and damaged cricket's reputation in Australia. Let's be clear, there were no winners from this sordid mess.

Still, typical of this muddied saga mired in accusations and propaganda, both sides tried to emerge intact from the rubble. Sutherland believed the deal has created more flexibility in a "modernised" revenue-sharing model but denied CA had been attempting a radical overhaul -a strange statement considering that the bitterness and stonewalling had emanated from this major roadblock of an issue.

The ACA could be deemed, and are already being hailed in some quarters, as 'winners'. After all, players will get up to 30 per cent of revenue -- around (AUD) $500m in the five-year period covered by the agreement. The revenue-sharing model, which the players fought tooth and nail over, has been retained and unemployed cricketers are set to receive full back pay.

Admirably, the players stayed united throughout, even though some - notably female cricketers and the Australia 'A' squad missing vital exposure due to the boycott of South Africa - had much to lose. Clearly, CA underestimated the resilience of the players and suddenly had to yield with the threat of international series, starting with Australia's Test tour of Bangladesh, under threat.

CA knew a boycott of Bangladesh, even if few in Australia cared about the series amid the pointy end of the respective footy seasons, would be a public relations disaster and one it might not be able to dig itself out of. It meant Sutherland, who had largely taken a backseat during negotiations, was forced to insert himself in discussions before the situation became unsalvageable. If somehow the Ashes was cancelled, undoubtedly there would have been a witch-hunt and heads could have rolled.

To his credit, Sutherland was able to compromise and after months of a frustrating stalemate, discussions progressed relatively quickly in recent weeks. Of course, it beggars the question - why wasn't Sutherland proactive far earlier? Despite the eventual resolution, Sutherland is in the hot seat and his future appears under a cloud.

Eventually, a resolution has been struck but nobody knows at what cost to Australian cricket. Everyone is wondering why the parties couldn't have been frank and shown willingness to negotiate well before the June 30 deadline. Obviously, relations between cricket chiefs and its players are damaged and the lingering bad blood is unlikely to subside anytime soon. Maybe it is beyond salvation and only a change in personnel can ensure a restoration between board and players.

For so long, Australian cricket had been the beacon of stability, which had manifested on-field during a long period of success and solidarity in leadership. Now, Australian cricket is delicately poised with that solidarity broken, perhaps forever. It will take a long time for the stains of this saga to go away and, until then, there will be an air of uncertainty. In some ways, Australian cricket is on shaky ground much like several other temperamental nations have found themselves unfortunately stuck in during the years.

Public support has been generally on the side of the players, unsurprisingly, however there was somewhat of a shift in sentiment as the dispute dragged on. Australians traditionally have a knack of knocking those down from their high horse and the well-remunerated players were not immune to a public whack as the saga spiralled. Players have been tainted as 'spoilt' tarnishing their demigod standing slightly.

Still, the players doggedly flexed their considerable muscle until CA buckled. As the sports landscape changes - most notably in America where superstars rule with an iron fist - it is the players who hold power not the administrators. Things have changed considerably since Australian cricket's worst industrial crisis 40 years ago when players earned a relative pittance and were largely held hostage by the administration. These days, players - particularly the elite ones - can stand their ground knowing they have a safety net and other avenues to earn a healthy remuneration.

This dispute illustrates that players are fully aware they have the balance of power and are intent on maximising it, although their wishes can be seen as self-serving. In many ways, stubbornness and selfishness has been at the core of this putrid episode. Both sides were quick to take the moral high ground, particularly reinforcing desires to invest in the grassroots, but those sentiments felt contrived. Both parties weren't seeking a greater good to the game - if they were genuine then an amicable resolution would have been struck months ago.

In a major travesty, the saga has undone much goodwill in Australian cricket. CA has done a masterful job in creating a juggernaut through the Big Bash League, ensuring cricket remains the showpiece of the Australian summer - thwarting global sports like soccer and basketball. Adding to this, Australia has an emerging Test team which appears to be on the cusp of a golden age.

Of course, once the on-field action resumes much of this ugly episode will be forgotten. Fans generally care merely about the on-field battle not the off-field shenanigans. However, in the background, the bloodletting is unlikely to alleviate and tension will remain amid a worrying newfound culture of mistrust and fear.

For now, healing will need to take place but one can't help feel concerned about future negotiations. Five years may seem like a long time away but it will undoubtedly arrive soon enough. Hopefully, when that juncture arrives, negotiations will be handled maturely, genuinely and with humility from both sides.

Those necessary characteristics were nowhere to be seen during this ugly protracted chapter Australian cricket will never forget.

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