Cricket: Battles over contract open way to freelancers

NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan says, 'Like any negotiation there's give and take, but I'm positive about the direction the discussions are going.

Cricket's major associations are stymieing attempts to put a new collective agreement in place.

A deal was agreed to in principle between New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association months ago and while the NZCPA has been able to sell it to its stakeholders, NZC is meeting more resistance.

The sticking point appears to be a significant increase in NZC commercial revenue that will now be directed to the Player Payment Pool, the kitty from which the country's 92 professional players are paid. The previous agreement had 25 per cent of all revenue going into the PPP whereas this time they are seeking a deal nearer to the 32 per cent that rugby enjoys.

The quid pro quo is a guaranteed sum of money put aside for amateur cricket, which covers the grassroots and age-group side of the sport.

The major associations, which tend to exist hand to mouth, would like to see less going to the country's professional players and more to them.

One source said the resistance was being driven out of Auckland Cricket, but chief executive Andrew Eade last night said that while he was bound by the confidentiality protocols that existed around collective bargaining, progress "absolutely had not stalled" and dialogue between the parties had been constructive.

With no option of rolling the previous collective agreement over, the new document has to be signed by July 31. If it is not, all New Zealand's leading players would effectively become free agents.

With the cricket environment in a state of flux, that would make them attractive to Indian Premier League franchises and English counties. In the past New Zealand players have been available only when there was no clash with NZC commitments. With no NZC contract to bind them, the rise of the freelance cricketer could move from concept to reality.

Players' Association manager Heath Mills alluded to the fact that progress had stalled when he admitted he would like to have signed the new collective agreement by now.

"I can't comment on details of the negotiation," he said. "Our last meeting was in late March and we were hopeful of having a deal done by now, but we're obviously not quite there yet."

NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan was more upbeat, saying he did not think it would come down to a game of 11th-hour brinkmanship.

"There's still two months to go so we've given ourselves a lot of time. We don't want it to run down to the last week, or the last day," he said.

"Like any negotiation there's give and take, but I'm positive about the direction the discussions are going."

Vaughan said the finances of New Zealand Cricket had always been erratic and the future would be no different. The national body receives a dividend from the ICC from its money-spinning tournaments such as the World Cup, World T20 and Champions Trophy, but aside from high-profile in-bound tours from India and England, otherwise struggles to break even.

"We need to find a way to manage ourselves through these ups and downs and this takes all parties to give and take and compromise in certain areas.

"That's what we're working through at the moment. I don't have any concerns about us being able to reach a position by the end of our term."

COLLECTIVE

* The collective agreement expires on July 31.
* The collective provides the framework for how the country's cricketers are paid.
* NZC contracts 20 players on retainers ranging from $174,000 (No 1-ranked player) to $48,000 (Nos 17-20).
* The major associations contract 12 players on retainers ranging from $36,500 to $19,500.