Australian cricketers won't rule out strike

Updated June 04, 2012 21:42:15

Australia's top cricketers have refused to rule out strike action if a June 30 deadline passes without a new pay agreement with the country's cricket board, the players' union said.

Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief Paul Marsh said his organisation and Cricket Australia (CA) had hit a stalemate over negotiations for a new five-year deal and were looking at all their options.

However, he insisted any strike would be "an absolute last resort".

Marsh said the ACA was looking for about $30 million but it is not clear yet how much CA has put on the table.

Marsh said Australia's participation in the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in September could be under threat, along with Australia's one-day international tour of England in June-July.

"You can't rule anything out. I don't want this to sound like the players are all preparing to go on strike because that's not the case at all," Marsh told SEN Radio.

"That type of action is an absolute last resort."

Marsh said if a new deal could not be agreed upon by the end of this month, the ACA would prefer to keep the current deal rolling along in the short term.

"If Cricket Australia don't want to do that, then we're forced with a decision to make," Marsh said.

"We either accept the position that they put forward or we look at what our other options are.

"We should be making sure we know what all the different options are so if that time comes, we can sit down with the players and say 'what do you want to do?'"

AFP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted June 04, 2012 21:42:15

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ICC decides to keep Duckworth Lewis and DRS

Updated June 02, 2012 08:14:07

The International Cricket Council (ICC) committee has decided to keep the controversial Duckworth Lewis method for calculating one-day targets when weather intervenes while making minor changes in other areas of the game, the sport's governing body said on Friday.

The committee considered a proposal by V. Jayadevan for a new way of working out run chases for reduced overs matches at a two-day meeting at Lord's this week.

"The committee unanimously agreed that there was no evidence of any significant flaws in the D/L method nor did the committee believe that any improvements could be offered by the VJD method. Therefore the committee decided to continue with D/L," the ICC said in a statement.

Duckworth Lewis has long been criticised because of its complex mathematics.

The technology behind the Decision Review System has also been queried in some quarters but the ICC committee fully backed the idea.

"The committee noted the improvements in DRS technology and that DRS has almost totally eradicated player-dissent. This is an extremely beneficial side effect of the DRS," David Richardson, ICC general manager - cricket, said.

"We have always said that DRS was there to assist the umpires in getting more decisions correct and eradicating the obvious mistakes. The statistics demonstrate that it has been effective in that objective. The committee re-affirmed this as the aim.

Day-night Tests

They recommended trialling day-night tests and the proposal will go forward for consideration by representatives of the game's leading countries during meetings at the ICC's annual conference in Kuala Lumpur from June 24-28.

"The committee agreed that it was important to maintain the impetus with regard to day/night test cricket and recommended that should the competing countries in a bi-lateral series agree that they wish to trial day/night test cricket then this request should be accommodated," the ICC said.

The recommendation was made after receiving reports on trials that have already taken place at first-class level and spectator feedback.

The committee also heard that a prototype sensor has been developed that can be worn during matches and would indicate whether or not the bowler's elbow is being straightened during the delivery swing.

Other changes which were recommended included an increase in the number of permitted short pitched deliveries from one to two per over in one-day cricket.

Powerplays should also be restricted to the first 10 overs plus one five-over batting powerplay to be completed by the 40th over. In a non-powerplay over, only four fielders ought to be allowed outside the 30 yard circle.

With regards to Test cricket, the committee suggested that drinks should not be brought on to the field other than at the official drinks breaks as well as urging teams not to waste time at referrals.

The committee also asked for more consultations on switch hitting and confirmed previous ICC plans for a 16-team World Twenty20 every two years from 2014.

Reuters

Tags: sport, cricket, england, united-kingdom

First posted June 02, 2012 08:04:44

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Headingley, Edgbaston cop Ashes snub

Updated June 01, 2012 21:34:16

Durham's picturesque Riverside Ground will host an Ashes Test for the first time on Australia's much anticipated 2013 tour of England, but two of world cricket's most famous grounds will miss out.

The schedule for the five-Test series was released on Friday, with Australia's battle to reclaim the urn that England has held since 2009 beginning at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 10.

As Australia looks to bounce back from a 3-1 hammering at home in 2010-11, the series then moves to Lord's, followed by Tests at Old Trafford in Manchester and the Riverside Ground in Durham.

The Oval in London concludes the series between cricket's oldest foes, who have played 326 Tests since the first in 1887.

Surprisingly neither the famed Headingley ground in Leeds nor history-rich Edgbaston in Birmingham will host Tests.

Australia claimed its only win of the last Ashes series in 2009 at Headingley with a crushing innings and 80-run victory.

Edgbaston was the venue for one of the greatest-ever Ashes battles in 2005 when Michael Kasprowicz was caught behind on a dramatic final day to give England a two-run win.

Australia will play two Twenty20 matches and a five-game one-day series against England after the Ashes to complete a hectic tour schedule that features 17 matches in total.

New Zealand will start the busy English summer of cricket with two Tests and three one-dayers between May 16 and June 5, while a condensed ICC Champions Trophy will be contested from June 6-23.

In announcing the schedule, ECB chief executive David Collier promised a "memorable summer".

"The prospect of England defending the Ashes on home soil, the world's top eight teams competing in the ICC Champions Trophy, and a full program of 50-over and T20 international cricket will provide rich pickings for cricket fans next summer," he said.

AAP

Tags: ashes, cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted June 01, 2012 21:27:08

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