Oz players ready to dump contract

Despite being the best-paid cricketers in the world, 67 per cent of Australian players are ready to reject national contract.

And turn freelancer to play in cash-awash events like the Indian Premier League, according to a survey.

"About two-thirds of players (67 per cent) said they could envisage an Australian player rejecting a CA contract to play their trade in leagues such as the IPL in the short to medium term," the 'Sydney Morning Herald' said, quoting the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) survey.

"Asked if they would consider knocking back a CA contract to turn freelance, 22 per cent of national players and 18 per cent of state players answered yes," it added.

It was a rude shock for Cricket Australia to learn that so many players are ready to follow in the footsteps of Andrew Flintoff.

Flintoff retired from Test cricket this year and then rejected a contract from the English and Wales Cricket Board worth USD 54,658 to maximise his earning power with the Chennai Super Kings in IPL.

Australian temperamental all-rounder Andrew Symonds is also currently having a freelance career after his contract was terminated by CA after a series of misconduct.

"I think Andrew Flintoff's decision is a sign of the times and is reflective of what a number of players around the world are currently thinking," ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said.

"The reality is that the national boards no longer have a monopoly over the players' services. There are new, exciting and lucrative options available to players, and not surprisingly many are giving serious consideration to their futures.

"Our players are well paid, but a competition such as the IPL in many cases provides a package of more money for less work and therefore less time away from home. Tell me that's not a proposition any person would consider," he added.

CA chief executive James Sutherland agreed that the scenario has changed but was confident that it would not sway the national cricketers.

"There is no doubt the labour market has changed in that there are broader options now than there were before," Sutherland said.

"I am really pleased at the way in which our players continue to value the honour of representing their country and have a real focus on achieving things as an Australian cricket team.

"It's also about making sure we offer a rewarding career for Australian cricketers, whether they are representing their state and their country, and we're very proud of the fact that we're running a business that can afford to ensure Australian cricketers are the best paid cricketers in the world," he said.

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Gavaskar to Oz: Be wary of Sachin

Sunil Gavaskar has warned the Australians to be wary of in-form Sachin Tendulkar in the upcoming seven-match ODI series.

"Sachin has been out of cricket for sometime now (last played on September 28) and I think, now he is ready to go back and show that he still has all the shots in the book. I think, it (the series) will be Sachin against the Australians," Gavaskar said.

"He will be opening the batting for India. So I think they will be looking to get him out to psychologically scare the Indians," he said.

Considering the recent impressive form of the Australians, who won the Champions Trophy early this month, Gavaskar said the series would be a hard-fought one.
"Ponting has been captain of the Australia team both times during consecutive Ashes loss in England, he will be determined now to make people forget that, which can only happen with him scoring heavily and leading Australia to victories," Gavaskar said.
"That's the way he approached the seven-match ODI series against England after the Ashes; then also in the Champions Trophy. I think that's the way they are going to play till they come up against England in Australia in 2011," he added.

The former captain advised Indian batsmen to be wary of Australian seam bowling attack.

"Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle are going to be a handful, make no mistakes about that. We saw in the Champions Trophy, they have not given too many runs except an odd match. And Lee has bowled brilliantly in the Champions League," Gavaskar said.

"So I don't think it's going to be easy for the Indian batsmen but for the likes of (Virender) Sehwag and (Gautam) Gambhir, there are no such things as a good length or a good delivery. And if they get going, it won't matter who is bowling," he said.
The high-octane series begins on October 25 at Vadodara.

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Oz don't want to play second-string Windies

Melbourne: With the standoff between the West Indies Cricket Board and its players showing no signs of ending, a concerned Australia, which is scheduled to host the side, is exploring other options to avoid playing a second string team from the Caribbean.

Cricket Australia Chief executive James Sutherland said the possibility of a full-strength West Indies team not turning up is still ripe and so they have started preparing some contingency plans for the summer.

"We have started to think about these sorts of things but again it is too early to be too definitive about how that all might unfold," Sutherland was quoted as saying in Sydney Morning Herald.

"The messages coming through from ICC and indirectly at this stage from West Indies, we're really hopeful things will be sorted and any sort of contingencies we might have started

to think about won't be relevant.

"There are definitely concerns because at the moment the West Indies Cricket Board and their players haven't sorted out their issues, and therefore it would appear if all things remain the same that we won't have a West Indies team of the strength we might hope for.

"Yes, it's a concern, but it's also a couple of months away and in my experience these sorts of industrial disputes can be fixed very, very quickly. I would hope both parties can, in the foreseeable future, see eye to eye," he added.

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