Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said that players and the governing body "are closer to reaching resolution than most think," according to Peter Lalor of THE AUSTRALIAN. He is confident the dispute can "be resolved despite the continuing hostilities between the two parties." CA "would not allow a photographer from The Australian" into the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day." The association was "so angry over revelations" in The Australian about its contracts with women players that it asked the Australian Cricketers Association to leave the first meeting on the pay issue last week. Sutherland: "It was unfortunate it came to what it did. There were some meetings that were intended to be held before Christmas -- we just put them on hold." CA wants to "pare back the revenue sharing model that has been the cornerstone of the memorandum of understanding" between the players and the organization since the late '80s. CA wants to give only int'l male players "a percentage share of the revenue they generate, excluding domestic male players and barring the entry of women into the model." Both parties say they want “gender neutrality” around pay and conditions. Sutherland "denied the breakdown in talks was an indication of a growing gulf between the players and the boardroom." He said, "I don’t see it that way. It was probably an opportune time, the right time, just to take a little bit of a deep breath with a couple of issues circulating, and to be honest we haven’t properly got into discussions or negotiations" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/28).
