Cricketers have rallied against Cricket Australia's threat to stop them from playing for their country, with a cryptic Tweet from the nation's premier fast bowler casting a dark cloud over this year's Ashes series.
The Australian Cricketers' Association rejected the "underwhelming" pay offer from CA and the players have now taken the spat public, after CA boss James Sutherland threatened them with unemployment if they did not sign the deal by the June 30 deadline.
Without stars like Starc, Steve Smith and David Warner in the baggy green -whether by CA's decision, or a player boycott - it would be a disaster for the sport, both on and off the field.
English star Kevin Pietersen, who spends a chunk of his year Down Under playing in the Big Bash League, forecast a 5-zip Ashes victory for the English, should the problems persist.
