Will threat of T20 player raids from global franchises force Cricket Australia to change its contract system?

Eight Australian Test cricketers were given multi-year contracts earlier this year. But as T20 franchises with big wallets begin to circle, will that force a change of thinking?

World Cup stars Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa have all fielded informal inquiries from T20 franchises looking to employ cricketers for 12 months a year, after Cricket Australia declined to offer them multi-year deals.

While eight Test stars, including Pat Cummins and Marnus Labuschagne, were given multi-year contracts, the bigger surprise is the big names who missed out considering white-ball stars are the players most likely to be seized upon by franchise cricket’s plans for world domination.

Cricket Australia general manager Ben Oliver said last month that while the organisation offered multi-year contracts, they are not used as a defence mechanism against franchise cricket.

“That’s not the primary reason for offering a multi-year agreement,” Oliver said.

“It is a recognition of performance and a reflection of the value that the selectors have of a player and their role in the team.

“That is a principle that sits behind Cricket Australia central contracting.”

Oliver’s declaration is backed up by the fact all the players offered multi-year contracts by CA are first and foremost fixtures in the Test team.

Glenn Maxwell is not on a multi-year contract with Cricket Australia. Picture: AFP Images

However, the question many are asking is whether the CA contracting model is outdated?

Few would argue with the premium CA puts on Test cricket but the next decade of ICC tournaments has been laid out and there are white-ball World Cups being contested almost every year.

In this context, are proven World Cup winners like Maxwell, Stoinis, Zampa and Mitchell Marsh not deserving of greater recognition for the role they play in Australian cricket, particularly with another T20 World Cup next year?

More to the point, when the sky inevitably falls and franchise cricket starts its takeover from national boards as the main employer of cricketers, the white-ball weapons will become the first targets.

As much as Labuschagne deserves his three-year deal as recognition for his consistency in Test cricket, he doesn’t have T20 franchises knocking the door down to pry him away from Australia.

It’s a different story when it comes to the likes of Maxwell, Stoinis and Zampa.

After next year’s T20 World Cup in June-July, there is a relatively lengthy 18 months until the next ICC World Cup.

Many are predicting this could be a drop-off point for Australia’s more experienced players to start to look at a future more in franchise cricket.

This is coupled with the fact the next IPL super auction will take place late next year and is being seen as a point when global franchise giants such as the Mumbai Indians might decide to start looking at contracting players for 12 months a year to play for them across various T20 leagues around the world.

Marnus Labuschagne is on a multi-year contract as one of Australia’s Test stars. Picture: AFP Images

Stoinis said before the World Cup that he and Cricket Australia had chatted honestly about the future of cricket and he was reasonably comfortable the governing body would be agile enough to handle the new world.

“The landscape is changing pretty quick and you don’t know what way it’s all going to land,” Stoinis said.

“There has been a lot of talk about T20 contracts with franchises over the whole year.

“But also the way it’s set up now with Cricket Australia and the relationships that I have with either Ronnie (Andrew McDonald) as coach or Bails (George Bailey) the selector – we just talk pretty openly and play things live as things come across. Everyone wants the best for everyone.”

Cricket Australia’s willingness to let Tim David pick and choose when he wants to play for Australia does indicate the governing body is prepared to be flexible to fit in with the changing landscape.

CA has indicated privately it would like to talk to the likes of Stoinis, Maxwell and Zampa about contract extensions after this World Cup but it remains to be seen what competition it might be up against.