Today's Sunday Age has cricket headed for another WSC style schism, giving it the front page treatment: quotes, graphics, documents, "cricket in crisis", beige arrows, the works.
Showdown: 30 years after Packer, the split is on again
AUSTRALIAN cricket is on the verge of the game's biggest split since Kerry Packer launched World Series Cricket 30 years ago today.
Cricket Australia has written to 11 of the nation's top players - including captain Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist - berating them for signing a memorandum of understanding to play in the highly lucrative Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament in April and May.
The guts: Stakeholders Sutherland is spitting chips senior cricketers have signed with the ICL, but didn't bother to tell CricAussie.
Despite the Age's ballyhoo, it doesn't sound like much of a crisis. Doubtless there's a disagreement, but it's one the two parties should be able to sort out over a steak, a good red and a roomful of lawyers. If anything, CA run the risk of exacerbating things by getting heavy handed and provoking the players into retaliation; especially when "It is possible that the Indian tournament could clash with Cricket Australia's obligations in Pakistan after its March tour." (I'm guessing "obligations" are not actually playing cricket.) But it's fair enough for CA to know why the cricketers didn't dish. Did they think they could join the ICL without anyone knowing? This is world cricket, after all, not me doing cashies on the side. The thing is, though, if I can get flicked for not getting permission, surely they can too.
I'm inclined to agree with Spanky; it's not a massive issue, more one of doing the right thing. The cricketers should have told CA first.
Cricketers forget manners amid all-you-can-eat feast
AUSTRALIA'S senior cricketers have forgotten their manners in the rush to grab a few bars of Indian gold. Judging from the contents of James Sutherland's unequivocal letter, they also have ignored legal niceties, contractual obligations and their responsibilities as employees.
Mind you, there's always the possibility the cricketers will say they did tell CA. Or that Andrew Symonds expression of reluctance to tour Pakistan was motivated by something other than security issues.
Symonds jokes about bombs in Pakistan
Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has expressed reservations about touring Pakistan next year, saying there has been a lot of "bombs going off".
I think Brad Hodge started the conspiracy to get back into the side.
Posted by: Uncle J Rod | 02 December 2007 at 22:58
Bottom line for CA is that without top class cricketers, there's no top class cricket.
Whilst it's not quite a worker/management dispute of Miners Strike proportions, it's nice to have a scenario where the guys that do the hard work are ones with the whip hand.
Posted by: Mark | 02 December 2007 at 23:13
According to Gilly on tonight's news, no Aussie players have actually signed yet - all they've done is submitted expressions of interest.
Still, could have been handled better ... what are the managers taking 20-25% for?
Posted by: 2BarRiff | 02 December 2007 at 23:42
Vale Cricket....
Murali - 709 wickets*
Posted by: Adsy | 03 December 2007 at 17:34
Vale Cricket 2
India playing in Pak
India win first test
India score highly in second test, first innings
then pak 105/5 ish
then pak make 456...
My prediction? Pakistan to win on the last day, tying the series 1-1, preventing the Indians being killed by the crowd, and the Pakistanis being killed by the bookies (hmm...familiar?). I wonder why Centrebet doesn't take bets on India vs Pakistan matches?
Posted by: nick | 03 December 2007 at 19:54
James Sutherland is one hamburger away from being called a lanky streak of goose shit, ain't he?
Where's he from?
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 04 December 2007 at 14:24
Melbourne. So, at least he's got that going for him.
Posted by: Tony T. | 04 December 2007 at 14:27