Cricketers showing no signs of letting up in pay dispute

Mitchell Starc insists the Australia players have no intentions of buckling in their pay dispute with Cricket Australia.

Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) CEO Alistair Nicholson met with the Champions Trophy squad on Sunday in Birmingham to update them on the current situation, which looks no closer to a resolution.

The current Memo of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties expires on June 30, and CA chief James Sutherland has told players they won’t be paid after this date.

That has raised the prospect of Australia’s biggest names being unavailable for the tour of Bangladesh in August and the Ashes home series later this year.

The dispute centres on CA’s desire to scrap the revenue-sharing system that’s been in place since 1997 and covers all professional men and women’s players in Australia – not just international representatives.

“Our stance hasn’t changed, our full support is still behind the ACA to get the outcome the players are after,” Starc said at Edgbaston on Sunday.

“It’s not about asking for more. It’s a fair share and both the men and women are together and on the same page and that was the conversation we had today.”

Starc has been vocal on social media about his opposition to the changes and gave no indication to suggest there will be an end to the impasse any time soon.

“They have four weeks to go on the MoU and the players are leaving it to the ACA to sort it out for our side of things,” the left-arm quick said.

“He (Nicholson) just told us where things are going to at the moment and we’ll stick with everything else in-house.

“I guess we’ll find out (whether or not there will a resolution) in four weeks’ time.”