Australia’s in-demand Big Bash stars and leading female cricketers stand to double their wages, while more national contracts will be up for grabs as Cricket Australia and the players’ union prepare to unveil a new pay deal.
Detailed negotiations between Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley and Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO Todd Greenberg continued on Sunday, with a new memorandum of understanding set to be announced on Monday.
David Warner was the best paid Australian in the Big Bash last seasonCredit:Getty
The negotiations, which have been largely free of the acrimony that characterised the 2017 MoU war, are taking place in the shadow of new Twenty20 leagues that clash with the BBL, offering players as much as $500,000 for half as many matches.
Cricket Australia’s male central contract list is likely to be held to CPI, as more money is invested in extending the men’s list from 20 to 24, while the women’s contract list is likely to rise from 15 to 18.
Last-minute haggling has revolved around the number of state and rookie contracts on offer, amid fears that promising talents on the fringes of those lists may be lost to the football codes if fewer places are available.
Men’s captain Pat Cummins is currently the highest-paid cricketer in Australia with a contract worth about $2 million, while the minimum men’s contract is currently $316,000.
Meg Lanning and her Australian teammates are set for substantial pay rise.Credit:Getty Images
Cummins’ central contract is worth a similar amount to that of Michael Clarke when he was captain, as far back as 2015. There is a danger that this flat trajectory may increase the risk of top players choosing T20 franchise paths instead of CA contracts.
BBL deals for the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis could rise to around $400,000 apiece, roughly the amount David Warner was paid to play six games for the Sydney Thunder. Under a similar arrangement, Steve Smith was paid about $250,000 to play five games for the Sixers.
The BBL salary cap is expected to increase from $1.9 million to about $3 million. However, there has been disagreement about how the extra $1.1 million should be spent at each of the eight clubs.
CA want the money roped off for players who offer box office appeal by attracting extra fans or increasing ratings. However, the ACA want it spread more evenly across the playing lists.
CA is playing catch-up with their local players after putting $6 million on the table for an overseas draft last year. A dozen overseas players listed as platinum were guaranteed $340,000 for playing in the first half of the BBL, then another $500,000 in the UAE or South Africa.
The value of Australia’s all-conquering female cricketers has been raised following the recent, inaugural Women’s Premier League in India, where dynamic allrounder Ashleigh Gardner earned $558,000. Almost $2.5 million was spent on 14 Australians in the first WPL auction.
Under the 2017 MoU, women’s pay rose about 150 per cent, with female state and WBBL players earning more than $50,000 a year, while the leading international women received about $200,000.
Those amounts are likely to double, leaving domestic players earning about $100,000 and the top group of internationals $400,000, retaining their place as comfortably the best paid women of any team sport in the country.
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