Amidst all trouble, Cricket Australia declares preparatory camp for upcoming Bangladesh tour

Australian Cricket has been in the eyes of the storm for quite some time. With Cricket Australia (CA) and Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) having developed diametrically opposite systems on the players’ revenue model, the future of their cricket looks shaky. Amidst all the ongoing trouble, CA has announced a seven-day training camp in August to prepare for the two-Test Bangladesh tour. However, who exactly is going to attend the camp remains a mystery.

The CA has looked to overhaul the existing revenue model in the cricketing system down under. However, the ACA has taken a strong stand against the move. The existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two bodies is set to expire on the 30th of June, leaving several questions hanging in the air.

The core of the problem

The existing revenue model has been declared as “not an option” anymore by the CA, who have insisted on a revenue-based pay for the players, instead of a flat rate pay cheque – one of the major demands of the ACA. All negotiations between the two have failed to make any headway.

Recently, eager to end the dispute CA had offered a revised revenue model. In his letter to the ACA, executive general manager of the CA, Kevin Roberts suggested a greater share of international surpluses, included domestic players in its sharing arrangement and opted to increase annual pay rises to the state players.

However, the ACA nipped the revised offer in the bud. If an agreement is not signed by the end of June, the top-bracket Australian cricketers (both men and women) will essentially be unemployed from the 1st of July. Several of them have already threatened to join the upcoming South African T20 league or participate in exhibition matches.

Darwin Camp:

However, in an unprecedented move, CA seems to have turned a deaf ear to the players’ plight. They have gone ahead and announced details of a pre-tour camp to be based at Darwin’s Marrara Cricket Ground from August 10. This is the same type of effort to accustom the players to the foreign conditions, as they’d done by using the grounds at Dubai ahead of their tour to India.

The Australian squad is scheduled to depart for Dhaka on August 18.

“Darwin will provide the ideal acclimatisation ahead of the tour and the facilities at Marrara Cricket Ground are first-class,” Cricket Australia’s Team Performance Manager Pat Howard said in a statement, issued on Saturday. He also thanked the Northern Territory Government and NT Cricket for their co-operation and is said to have been working in close association with both in order to replicate pitch conditions of Bangladesh for better preparation of the squad. However, the looming question stands: Who exactly is going to attend the camp if no settlement is reached within the next week?