ENGLAND’s cricketers will depart for Australia later this month with no contractual issues hanging over the squad, after the ECB agreed a three-year framework with the Professional Cricketers’ Association that will cover all negotiations up until September 30, 2013. England contracts have been a bone of contention for the elite players in recent seasons, with the advent of the Indian Premier League heralding a new era of financial opportunity beyond international cricket, and the contracts that were offered for the 2009-10 season remained unsigned throughout the international year.
Although the ECB’s individual Central Contracts will continue to be offered for 12-month periods, the agreed framework will cover all remuneration matters for the next three years, and includes a comprehensive set of agreements on playing and management matters, including involvement in the IPL, and the compensation due to the ECB and counties if the players are released to play.
“It’s been a long process, but ultimately a very constructive one,” Angus Porter, the PCA chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo.
“You could say that we’ve signed this year’s contracts spot on time, or that we are 12 months’ late with last year’s, but either way, I think all parties accepted that an annual bunfight is not in the best interests of England cricket. It has made much more sense to agree a long-term deal going forward.”
“We are delighted to have concluded a three-year deal and to have all contractual issues resolved well in advance of the Ashes tour,” said Hugh Morris, Managing Director England Cricket. “The terms and conditions are well structured, will encompass two Ashes series and an ICC Cricket World Cup, and will continue to offer additional rewards to players for successful team performances. ”
“This agreement is good for the players, and good for cricket in England and Wales,” added Porter. “We are delighted that the England players will be able to focus on cricket for the next three years without the risk of being distracted by contract negotiations.”
Porter added that the three-year timescale had been chosen because it ties in with the ECB’s existing commercial deals, most significantly the current broadcasting deal with BSkyB, which also expires in 2013.
“By aligning the rewards with the ECB’s ability to pay, they’ll be in a better position to forecast what they can offer,” he said.
The fact that an Ashes tour is looming helped to concentrate the minds of all parties in the negotiations, conceded Porter. “I’d like to think that we’d have got to this point regardless,” he said, “but it’s always helpful to have dates to aim for. I don’t think any of us would pretend we weren’t all convinced that a resolution before the tour began was desirable.” (ESPN Cricinfo)