The trade period for the Big Bash League and Women's Big Bash League has been suspended as tensions rise between players and Cricket Australia over pay.
The trade period had been due to begin next week when the eight franchises have the opportunity of approaching rival talent but Fairfax Media can reveal CA has informed them there will be an embargo from 7.15pm on Saturday – just as the BBL final begins.
Once the embargo is in place, franchises can only have non-binding discussions with players currently on their books.
They can re-sign players currently on their list before Saturday, but these contracts will almost certainly have to be upgraded once a new memorandum of understanding is brokered, which could be some time from happening.
The embargo has been put in place to ensure an even playing field among teams. Financial details for clubs remain unclear, with CA and the Australian Cricketers Association yet to begin intensive talks over pay and conditions. Talks broke down before Christmas and informal discussions reopened last week but the players remain frustrated at the lack of financial detail CA has so far provided.
The embargo could impact such stars as spinner Brad Hogg and batsman Brad Hodge – the BBL's two oldest players – who had already been facing uncertain futures. Hogg's contract with the Melbourne Renegades has expired, while Hodge is of the belief he has all but been sacked by the Adelaide Strikers, although the club disputed this when contacted on Tuesday.
Players had recently been instructed to not sign new contracts unless they had been checked by the ACA, but CA's move has ensured all parties won't be disadvantaged. The MOU discussions could also shape whether the BBL salary cap is increased from $1.4 million for next season.
The current MOU expires in June, and the trade-period embargo could run until this point if talks drag on. While players with multi-year contracts won't be disadvantaged – their contracts will be upgraded when the new MOU is implemented – for players who are on expiring deals, it's a different story.
One player agent told Fairfax Media on Tuesday those players without CA or Indian Premier League contracts were already concerned about the lack of security.
ACA chief Alistair Nicholson said the MOU needed to be brokered before new and renewed contracts for players were signed.
"Failure to get this sequencing right means that the contracts could include some of the out-of-date terms and conditions the ACA has acknowledged in our submission and could also create different types of contracts which create inequities from player to player," he said.
"The MOU informs the contracts. That's why the sequence needs to be MOU first and contracts second."
How CA treats domestic cricket is a key agenda item when MOU negotiations resume in earnest, for the governing body only wants CA-contracted players to continue to share in the percentage model used since 1997.
Under the proposed plan, Sheffield Shield players would be paid from a set pool, with BBL deals seen as a way of boosting their earnings. But players continue to argue that the revenue model for all parties should be retained, pointing out shield cricket breeds Test players and, more often than not, the future stars of all forms of the sport.
CA says the top women players should also share in the percentage revenue model but domestic players should receive their payments from a guaranteed pool. WBBL players are also restricted to one-year deals, something they want changed. Another issue has been a pregnancy clause, where they have to "warrant" they are not pregnant when signing a contract. This is currently before the Fair Work Ombudsman. The absence of a doctor at WNBL matches – as opposed to WBBL – has also been raised.
Having briefed players before the Allan Border Medal count in Sydney on Monday, ACA chairman Greg Dyer has also called for a "ceiling" on CA's administrative costs.
"Many players ask the very fair question: how does the game spend the revenue the players generate for it?" he said.
"Players receive less than 20 per cent of total revenue and only 12 per cent currently goes into grass roots investment.
"The players would like to see a greater investment in grass roots cricket, a better deal for female cricketers and an ongoing share of BBL and WBBL revenue they generate."
Scheduling also remains a major issue on several fronts for the male players. Players want a more consistent lead-up to the home Test season, while the growing dominance of the BBL has seen franchises express concerns about losing players to the one-day international squad.
