The inaugural Women’s Big Bash League has "exceeded all expectations by outrating a number of established male sports," but its success comes as a "bitter stand-off over player payments escalates," according to Peter Lalor of THE AUSTRALIAN. The stand-off "became ugly earlier in the year when a behind-the-scenes campaign led to accusations that millionaire male cricketers were refusing to help out the women." The Australian Cricketers' Association and Cricket Australia are set to resume negotiations in the new year on a topic that has "opened a divide between the two bodies and key players in cricket administration." The ACA wants a collective bargaining agreement or memorandum of understanding for the women. CA placed the women on 12-month individual contracts this year "and is pushing for them to be paid out of the male players' salary cap." The ACA has objected to this. This season the women receive a BBL retainer of A$3,000 ($2,150)-A$10,000 ($7,200), while state players' contracts rose to A$7,000 ($5,030). The governing bodies had poured an extra A$600,000 ($431,200) into the total payment pool to take it to A$2.26M ($1.62M). The minimum retainer for a male BBL player is A$20,000 ($14,400) and the salary cap for the eight sides in that competition is A$10.4M ($7.5M). Western Australian Cricket Association CEO Christina Matthews has an interest in the argument "from two sides of the triangle." She is Australia's "most capped female Test player and now a senior administrator." Matthews: "The women aren't paid nearly enough. Everybody is letting the female players down here. Cricket Australia is trying to force the issue, the ACA comes straight from a union perspective -- don't give an inch or it will cost you down the track. The women are caught in between" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/22).
