Contract snub for Labuschagne and Paine

Australian Test captain Tim Paine and batting star Marnus Labuschagne not among the six highest paid — or rated — cricketers in the country.

Leading batsman Marnus Labuschagne and Test captain Tim Paine are not among Australia’s highest ranked players

The rankings for this 2021-22 player contracts make interesting interpretations and analysis with both Australian Test captain Tim Paine and batting star Marnus Labuschagne not among the six highest paid — or rated — cricketers in the country.

Paine, who has led the reformation of Australian cricket, along with coach Justin Langer, is understood to be the lowest ranked Australian captain since the pay scale was introduced in 1988 when Mark Taylor was at the helm of the national side — although he would certainly not be the lowest paid.

Captains have traditionally topped the player rankings, but Paine has never held that spot.

His Test side had just four games in an 18-month period, but with the Ashes this summer the men in white will be the focus of extraordinary attention and pressure.

The Australian understands that Pat Cummins is the highest ranked and paid player for the second year in succession.

Steve Smith is back again at No.2, David Warner is at three, bowler Michell Starc at four and Josh Hazlewood is the fifth ranked player.

Players were informed of their rankings in a series of meetings with national teams boss Ben Oliver and head selector Trevor Hohns.

Cricket Australia explained on Tuesday the selectors use a combination of selective and objective measures including performance over past 12 months, schedule for the next 12 month and projected roles of players to arrive at the valuation.

The players are told their ranking and pay scale but have no ability to negotiate. While the top-ranked payer has been given a contract valued at $2 million or more in recent years — plus significant other payments including match fees, selection fees, win bonuses and the like — this year it is understood the top pay scale is around $1.7m before the other additions.

There was an expectation that Labuschagne, who has a Test average of 60 and was the highest scoring batsman in world cricket in 2019, would be among the top-ranked players.

While Labuschagne was not named in the white-ball squad for the Australian tour of West Indies the indication was that selection was made because of geography, pandemic restrictions and associated complexities.

Labuschagne’s disappointment was acknowledged by selectors and his form for Glamorgan in recent matches indicates how handy he is with bat and ball in short-format cricket.

In his 13 ODIs for Australia he has averaged 39.4 with the bat and a T20 international average of 29.84 with a strike rate of 125.

Selector Trevor Hohns defended the contract list that included just three Test batsmen in its 17 players, saying it had a “strong core group which cover all forms of the game for the 12 months ahead”.

Hohns added that format specialisation meant more uncontracted players representing Australia.

After white-ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh, Australia’s focus is on October’s T20 World Cup which the BCCI confirmed this week would be shifted to the UAE.

There are, however, six Tests this summer including an Ashes series which is considered the ultimate contest on the Australian cricketing calendar.

Allrounder Cameron Green, who was impressive in the series against India, was given a contract, but Joe Burns, Travis Head, Will Pucovski, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade. Marcus Harris, Marcus Stoinis and Moises Henriques missed out. In 2020-21 20 players were contracted, but this year it was reduced to 17.

Players can earn a minimum contract by playing enough Tests and/or white ball games. Labuschagne was not on the contract list in 2019-20 but earned one after being picked as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith in the Lord’s Test.

Players need to accrue 12 points to earn a contract with Tests worth five, ODIs two and T20s one point.

In a conversation on The Australian’s Cricket Et Cetera podcast earlier this month CA chief executive Nick Hockley denied the inclusion of just three Test batsmen on the contract list was a poor reflection on Australia’s high performance systems.

“The contract list is more a question of the fact there is competition for places,” Hockley said. “There are numbers of contracts we are able to award, there is a band between 17 and 20 which we have left open because it is so competitive.

“It’s a case of those players in contention putting their hands up for those central contracts.

“Everyone is extremely focused on what is coming up this summer, it’s a must win, I have this little … I know a huge amount of preparation is going in to make sure the men’s and women’s national teams are in peak form for the Ashes.”