Simon Katich hits out at CA over BBL $33 million loss claim

Simon Katich hits out at CA over BBL $33 million loss claim

Former Australian batsman Simon Katich has come out in support of the Australian cricketers in their ongoing pay dispute with the board and lashed out at Cricket Australia (CA) over its claim that it has been kind enough to offer pay rises despite losing A$33 million over the early seasons of the Big Bash League (BBL). Katich alleged that the announcement of the figure in CA’s MoU offer to players was “either an MoU negotiating tactic or a serious case of mismanagement”, arguing that such a claim needed independent investigation. He also added weight to the players’ claim for independent mediation to settle the present pay dispute.

“The claims that CA has managed to lose money on the biggest success story in world cricket must be independently investigated,” Katich was quoted as saying by a report published in ESPNCricinfo. “Record crowds, record ratings, record sponsorships and merchandising sales each and every year, yet CA are claiming a loss. It defies logic and good business sense,” he further said.

“It also defies logic that you would claim a financial loss, yet not recommend a model that shares the risk,” Katich further said, before adding that it “it may well be an ill-conceived negotiation tactic, which itself is silly given mediation is the way to go. The BBL and WBBL provide the best platform to promote cricket to kids and families given they are turning up to these events in their hundreds-of-thousands over the course of the season.”