WACA fury at Cricket Australia over missing India Test

Pressure on Cricket Australia has increased as West Australian officials hit out at a head office over this summer’s schedule.

WA cricket bosses say they were told that Perth would not miss out on major tours if Optus Stadium was built. Picture: Getty Images

Pressure on Cricket Australia increased on Thursday as West Australian officials hit out at a head office that is fighting fires on all fronts.

The WACA is furious about the scheduling for the summer revealed in The Australian. Perth learned it would host Afghanistan, not India, despite moving to a $1.6bn state-of-the-art stadium, and chief executive Christina Matthews hit out at the lack of “transparency and clarity” in dealings with CA.

At the same time, NSW is still waiting on updated financial forecasts seven weeks into negotiations about a 25 per cent reduction in state grants and Queensland is also holding out on accepting the proposed cuts.

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Western Australia will not agree to the cuts unless all other states do, which means three of the six states have issues with the financial arrangements.

And, CA has until Friday to provide a similar forecast of annual revenue for the players.

Sources at the Australian Cricketers Association said it had extended the deadline by a month given the fluidity of the situation, but believe it will be impossible for CA to justify 25 per cent cuts after chief executive Kevin Roberts told staff and broadcasters that he was confident India would tour.

Roberts addressed the media four days after 80 per cent of his staff were stood down on 20 per cent pay in April, but has not done so since, choosing to address issues in direct video links with staff and states. He did, however, join a forum alongside other sports bosses last week for News Corp and will speak to the media on Friday morning.

At his last phone hook-up with furloughed staff, Roberts said reports the financial crisis had abated because the Indian tour looked set to go ahead were not correct and claimed there were significant losses from debtors and biosecurity arrangements that will be put in place in the summer.

The size of the losses is hotly disputed by the ACA and the leading states, who believe the financial hit has been exaggerated.

Matthews and WACA chairman Tuck Waldron expressed their disappointment in a media conference in Perth on Thursday and further in a phone interview with The Australian. “We keep seeking clarity and transparency on issues and it doesn’t seem to come until it is forced,” Matthews said. “In regards to the India Test we put something to them in February and didn’t get an acknowledgment of it and now we have been told that this decision was made on March 20.

“It is a long time between the decision being made and us being brought into the picture so it does make you wonder when you get told whether it is really the way it is happening.”

Matthews said the WA government and stadium management put together a proposal to host the Test and ministers met with CA during last year’s Test.

Perth claims it faces a loss of $3m to $4m with the decision to hold the first Test in Brisbane. The WACA claims the Test would be in a better time zone and that its metrics for crowds, ratings, corporate hospitality and weather are better than those for Brisbane. The Gabba is in need of renovations but has an advantage in that it is the traditional starting point for the summer and Australia have not lost a Test there since 1988.

“The last time (in 2014) we were told it was because our venue wasn’t good enough and if we supported a new stadium this would never happen again,” Matthews said.

On Thursday Roberts said: “While acknowledging the difficulty in navigating a global pandemic, we are nonetheless encouraged by the progress Australia is making in combating the coronavirus and the positive impact that is having on our ability to host an exciting summer of cricket in 2020-21.  

“We know that circumstances or events beyond our control could mean that the final schedule potentially may look different to the one released today, but we’ll be doing everything we can to get as much international cricket in as possible this summer. We will communicate any changes to the schedule if or when they are required.

“We are working closely with the BCCI to deliver the eagerly anticipated men’s and women’s tours, and we are looking forward to staging the important series against both the men’s and women’s New Zealand sides. These are in addition to the scheduled men’s Test against Afghanistan and a T20 series against West Indies.”