Australian players' union shocked with Cricket Australia's financial woes: Report

Cricket Australia’s financial management amidst the ongoing coronavirus crisis has reportedly been criticised by the Australian players’ union. This comes on the backdrop of star batsman Usman Khawaja being omitted by Cricket Australia in their central contract list of players. Regarding the same, Usman Khawaja told Fox Sports that he was shocked to learn about the financial crisis the board is facing and blamed it on "mismanagement".

Also Read | Usman Khawaja Shocked At Cricket Australia Financial Crisis

Cricket Australia financial woes continue amid coronavirus crisis

In April, Cricket Australia put 200 of their staff members on 20 percent pay. In spite of giant pay reductions, the Australian players have said that the governing council should be “optimistic and confident” about the prospects of the game. According to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief Alistair Nicholson wrote an email to Cricket Australia on Wednesday, May 6.

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In the email, Alistair Nicholson wrote that the players are extending their support towards the staff members who were stood down by Cricket Australia. He added that they are wishing for the “speedy return” to their jobs. Nicholson also mentioned that if the board remained confident in their approach in the matter, the current financial position is likely to see an improvement.

Also Read | Michael Clarke Criticizes CA For Excluding Usman Khawaja From Central Contracts List

Cricket Australia: T20 World Cup and Virat Kohli-led India tour in 2020-21

As immediate cricketing activities worldwide have come to a standstill, the upcoming T20 World Cup is also clouded with uncertainty at the moment. The T20 World Cup is currently scheduled to be played in October and November later this year. The tournament will be followed by a lucrative tour by Virat Kohli-led Team India for four Test matches. While the Test series will reportedly fetch AUD 300 million ($181 million) for Cricket Australia, the board was recently known to be contemplating on the idea of hosting five Indian Test matches at a single venue to avoid the risk of travelling.

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