Published: Jul 04, 2017, 10:05 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 04, 2017, 09:58 AM (IST)
One can already witness many Australian players getting emotional or opting for short stint in English County cricket as Cricket Australia (CA) and Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) are yet to arrive at a decision with regards to revised revenue share model. This ongoing pay dispute saw former Australian players Michael Slater and Ed Cowan get into a spirited debate on a television show at Sydney for the first time. During the debate, Cowan denied that state players who did not participate in Big Bash League (BBL) were well rewarded. He also argued that the current pay dispute, that has left several Australian players unemployed and also kept South Africa tour on hold, involves money. FICA supports ACA in ongoing pay dispute with Cricket Australia
Speaking on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast, Slater said, “I’m an ex-cricketer who got paid to play the game and I never walked out there thinking about whether I was a partner … because I felt like I was a partner and it didn’t matter how my pay was paid. What is this partnership rubbish?” Cowan, on the other hand, beg to differ and claimed was “seriously impeded by your job at Channel Nine.” He also feels that the game in Australia is currently doing well “from a performance point of view … but not from an administrative point of view.”
Cowan on his views further added, “I don’t care about how much I get paid, but I think it is important that it is linked into the health of the game. What we are trying to do is provide a check and a balance against a governing body that likes control and likes autonomous control over every decision and every moment where every dollar goes. I think we’ve shown, not just us but the world, that dictatorships don’t work.”
“So what we’re trying to do is create a genuine partnership so that the game can grow and prosper and there’s a check and balance in decision making. What they (CA) are offering is essentially a surplus model with no control on costs. So that gives them complete control, they can go and spend as much money as they want on whatever they want and they’ve proven in the past that they don’t spend money in the right areas.” Cowan concluded.
