David Warner accuses CA of hurting Australia’s ICC Champions Trophy campaign
David Warner’s comments came after Cricket Australia (CA) released a video, in the midst of ICC Champions Trophy 2017, aimed at persuading the players to agree to give up the proposed revenue sharing model
Australia vice-captain David Warner has continued his verbal volley against Cricket Australia (CA) by asking them whether they want the national side to win the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
The 30-year-old’s comments came after the country’s cricket board released a video aimed at persuading the players to agree to give up the proposed revenue sharing model.
In a video released by the CA, chief negotiator Kevin Roberts infuriated the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) by contradicting their claims about what it costs to run the game.
He also accused the players of wanting to take money out of junior cricket by demanding the revenue-sharing scheme to continue to remain part of the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Two-time winners Australia will now face England on Saturday at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground knowing that a defeat or abandonment could end their campaign at the eight-team marquee event.
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Hitting back at Roberts, Warner claimed if CA would have wanted them to clinch victory, they would not have released such a video.
“If CA want to try and help us win I think they wouldn’t be releasing videos like that. We have an important game coming up this week and that is our focus. The MoU can wait until after the game and the tournament,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted Warner as saying.
The video, which features Roberts contradicting the players’ union’s claims about the costs of running the game, was posted online and e-mailed to professional players in Australia.
While it may have been intended as clarification from CA’s part, Warner believes the timing of releasing the video was something that irritated the players.
“It [the timing] is disappointing. But I am not going to comment on what CA are trying to do. They obviously haven’t thought about the process. We’ve given back almost 30 million to grassroots cricket,” he added.
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The opener further reiterated that the players are completely focusing on their game at the moment and that they are united in their stand against the CA’s proposal.
“As we’ve said, we just want a fair share, but leave it [the negotiations] until after the games. We have 100% support with the ACA to get to the table with CA. All the players are sticking together as one,” Warner said.
The pay dispute between CA and the ACA is currently on track for a resolution by June 30, the date of expiry of the MoU between the two governing bodies.
ACA had earlier rejected the new pay offer from the game’s governing body, saying the proposal will be a win for cricket administrators but a loss for the game.
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The ACA had also insisted that the CA’s proposal disrespects the value of domestic cricketers and the role they play in Australian cricket.
CA, on the other hand, has maintained that their new pay offer has to be implemented for the long-term good of the game.
In March, CA made an offer, proposing that the average pay of Australia’s international women’s players would rise from $A79,000 to $A179,000, while the average remuneration of state cricketers would more than double to $A52,000.
Under CA’s proposal, only male international players would have the chance to share in any surplus revenue, while other domestic male players and women at both domestic and international level would have to settle for fixed amounts which would not fluctuate according to the game’s income.