The Australian Cricketers’ Association supports private ownership of Twenty20 teams as cashed-up Indian consortia hover to buy stakes in the domestic franchises.
The Australian players’ collective has no objection to the principle of private ownership, association chief executive Paul Marsh said on Thursday.
Cricket Australia’s board will meet on Friday to decide whether to allow private ownership of T20 franchises in a new competition next summer.
Eight Australian outfits will contest the series, with six teams in capital cities and a further two licences to be granted.
Indian entrepreneurs want to buy minority stakes in the franchises, which some reports suggest could be valued at $80 million.
Marsh said the players’ association believed private ownership should be embraced.
“But we’re not privy to the financial details,” he said.
“I don’t know whether the offers on the table stack up, that is something that Cricket Australia, I’m assuming, is analysing and is putting a recommendation to the board.
“But if it does stack up, from our perspective, we think cricket should go for it.”
Marsh said the debate boiled down to a cost-benefit analysis.
“The value and benefits that private ownership would bring to Australian cricket, do they outweigh the financial opportunity cost that cricket may be giving up by bringing in part owners, and the control that cricket may be giving up by bringing in part owners?,” he said.
Marsh said the association had already started negotiating with Cricket Australia about terms and conditions for the revamped T20 competition.
“In terms of the ownership, that is a Cricket Australia and state association thing,” he said.
“We have no issue with it – our players play in the IPL (Indian Premier League) where the teams are privately owned.
“It’s a different sort of landscape than what we have been used to, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all bad.”
The T20 competition will also lure overseas stars to play for the Australian franchises in a tournament set to replace one-day matches on the January and February cricket calendar.
Meanwhile, the CA board meeting on Friday will also decide which national selector will lose his job.
The Australian selection panel will be reduced from five members to four.
Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch and newly appointed full-time selector Greg Chappell will remain on the panel, meaning either David Boon, Merv Hughes or Jamie Cox will be axed.
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