An upcoming Australia A cricket tour to South Africa was boycotted Thursday after players confirmed they would refuse to take part due to an ongoing pay dispute.
A cancellation of the tour, which was due to begin on Friday, had been possible since the weekend when contracts for over 200 professional players in the country expired after players and administrators failed to agree on new terms.
“It is with great frustration that with no progress towards resolving the current dispute, Australia A players confirm they will not tour
South Africa,” said a statement from the player’s union, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA).
“This decision is made in support of more than 200 male and female players who are now unemployed and is consistent with Sunday’s ACA
Executive meeting resolutions.”
At issue in the stalled contract negotiations is so-called ‘revenue sharing,’ a payments system that Australia’s top cricketers negotiated for themselves nearly 20 years ago and which the national cricket governing body would now like to do away with.
Under the model, profits earned by Australia’s main summer sport, are shared by the country’s state-level and international cricketers.
Cricket Australia says that the payment model is out-of-date and takes money away from grassroots funding.
