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ACA to look out for endorsement deals for Australian players in Indian market

The ACA has sent its General Manager Tim Cruickshank to speak to potential Indian investors, who would want to rope in Australian players for endorsement deals.

As many as 230 Aussie players are currently unemployed © Getty Images
As many as 230 Aussie players are currently unemployed © Getty Images

The pay dispute between Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) and Cricket Australia (CA) has still not reached any resolution and it doesn’t seem to end in the near future. As a result, the Australian cricketers are left unemployed and they are now looking for alternative ways to earn money. According to a news report, the ACA, which has all the top cricketers under its wing, has sent its General Manager Tim Cruickshank to speak to potential Indian investors, who would want to rope in Australian players for endorsement deals.

“The Australian players love coming to India. They have a huge fan base in India. The players are sought after in IPL. I have come to India to speak to potential partners in Indian market. I can tell you that the response from Indian investors has been great in the meetings that I have had,” Cruickshank said.

The pay dispute has not only left the players unemployed, but it has also resulted in Australia A team boycotting the tour of South Africa. When asked whether the senior team will also boycott the tour to India, Cruickshank said that he hopes both the parties (CA and ACA) could reach a common ground by then.

“Let me tell you that players are keen to tour both Bangladesh and India. But till the MoU is not signed on fair terms, they won’t be able to tour. Had the India tour been next week, I would have told you that it’s in serious jeopardy but since it’s in October, we should be hopeful that a common ground of solution will be reached by then,” he said.

Cruickshank agreed that it’s not an ideal situation as players want to play but also want a level-playing ground where Cricket Australia treats them as partners.

“Due to some strange tactics from Cricket Australia, the players have been forced into unemployment. All they want is a fair deal. The top cricketers could have agreed to the lucrative deals that CA offered them but they are all together in it. They also want a share for the women cricketers and the first-class cricketers,” Cruickshank said.

Former skipper Michael Clarke had recently urged Cricket Australia to continue with the old Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the time being. “I know where Michael is coming from but the old revenue sharing model does not involve the women cricketers,” he said.

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