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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Former Australian Cricket Captain Says Cricketers Ready For Pay Cuts

Shane Watson has declared Australia’s cricket players "would be prepared to take pay cuts for a less cluttered international schedule," according to Ben Horne of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. The former Test all-rounder believes the value of the Australian shirt is "currently under attack due to the greedy motives of cricket boards and the misguided faith the game puts in sports science as the barometer for stopping players from playing." Australia has been "slammed for taking a second string side to South Africa and in turn getting thumped 5-0." With pay negotiations due to start in the coming weeks for Australia’s players, Watson is "adamant that money isn’t everything for a passionate playing group desperate for quality over quantity when it comes to international cricket." He said, "Yes of course (they’d consider less pay). Whatever works to make sure that the product being produced is the most premium product. If it meant there was a bit more life balance playing for Australia, I think whatever is required to actually get that, the players would be open to any of that for sure" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 10/24).

HEAVY LOAD: The AAP reported the Australian team's upcoming workload has "drawn plenty of criticism, mainly because of a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka in Adelaide scheduled the day before the Test side plays in India." Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said that scheduling was a "balancing act and hoped that cricketers could play less international games next year." But he said that cricketers "who chose to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League during their down-time from international duties couldn't complain about the workload." Watson sided with former Test teammate Simon Katich, who recently said that the "jam-packed calendar may diminish the significance of Australian selection." Watson: "There's too much cricket on and my personal belief is some it is on for the wrong reasons and not for the betterment of cricket. A lot of it comes down to the money that's generated ... and the deals that are done by the cricket boards that if you play games here we can play games at home" (THE AGE, 10/25).

TIME TO ACT: In Sydney, Jon Pierik opined the message "is loud and clear." Australia's top cricketers are "complaining there are too many matches, and the need to satisfy bilateral agreements and television contracts is potentially diluting the honour of representing your country." Clearly, "something needs to give soon, for hostility between players and officials over a congested schedule, exacerbated by complaints about a lack of context, are growing." So, "what to do?" Scheduling, no matter what the sport, "is tricky, with vested interests, but this summer's hotchpotch of a calendar adds to the frustration." In terms of the IPL, "such is its lure and power that it's time players from all nations can participate fully and annually." The Australians have been given "about a six-week window in April and May to do so, although this is then used against them in the 'rest' debate" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 10/25).

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