Steve Smith denies accusations players are being greedy amid pay war

AUSTRALIA captain Steve Smith has continued to play a political straight bat in cricket’s pay fight but he did take umbrage to being labelled greedy.

Steve Smith ahead of the Champions Trophy.

AUSTRALIAN captain Steve Smith has continued to play a political straight bat in cricket’s pay fight refusing to enter the war of words dominating the landscape at home.

But the mood is softening in what has been a bitter to and fro with the Australian Cricketers Association preaching “flexibility” as the key to getting a deal done by June 30.

A Cricket Australia board meeting in Brisbane this weekend looms as a crunch time with the governing body having a two day “strategic retreat” where a way forward in pay talks will be high on the agenda.

Flexibility was also prominent in a CA media release which took a subtle dig at the players union calling for an end to, somewhat amusingly, “negotiation by daily media release”.

Australia’s players in England for the Champions Trophy have fielded questions on the subject for two weeks and for the most part maintained a “we support the ACA line”, without biting on the verbal stoush happening at home.

Steve Smith ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Smith, talking on the of Australia’s opening clash with New Zealand, said he hasn’t enjoyed some of the ill-informed commentary around the player’s stance, some of which has painted the top tier of cricketers like himself as holding out for more money.

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But the skipper, who has had several meetings with ACA chief Alistair Nicholson both while in India and now in the UK, maintained his confidence that despite the “arguments” going on, a deal would get done in everyone’s best interests.

“I’m not sure I completely agree with that,” Smith said of reports suggesting the players were being greedy.

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“I think if you look back at the last MOU, players gave back $10 million to grassroots cricket, which is quite significant. We’re certainly looking to do the same sort of stuff in the next agreement.

“We’ve had a couple of meetings with the ACA here, we are right behind them and what they are trying to do for the players, as partners of the game as well.

“I was communicating quite regularly with Alistair (Nicholson) while I was India, I was across everything that’s going on.

“There’s plenty to talk about, and both parties have had a few different arguments. But I am sure they will come to an agreement at some point, and I’m sure that will be the best for the game.”

Unlike his vice-captain David Warner, who suggested CA “might not have a team for the Ashes” when the dispute was at its most fierce, Smith didn’t even mention missing any cricket.

All nationally contracted players, including Smith, will stop getting paid by CA on June 30 if a new MOU is not signed off.

And while the captain is confident of getting the deal done sooner rather than later, ACA President Greg Dyer again spoke of the union’s flexibility around the contentious issue of revenue sharing in a bid to get CA back to the negotiating table.

Smith during Australia’s practice match against Pakistan.

Dyer echoed the thoughts of Aussie all-rounder Moises Henriques, who is part of the ACA executive and said “a little bit of give” was needed from both sides to avoid further disruption to cricket.

The ACA has long said it remains flexible on what revenue players should share in, but CA has remained stoic in wanting to remove the 20-year-old revenue share model.

“We hope that this flexibility will be seriously considered by the CA Board when it meets this week,” Dyer said.

“The players have always had and still do have flexibility. There is room to move to modernise this partnership.”

Originally published as Steve Smith denies accusations players are being greedy amid pay war