(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – Marcus Stoinis insists the ongoing pay dispute between the Australia players and Cricket Australia won’t be a distraction during the ICC Champions Trophy.
The bulk of the Australia squad arrived in London on Friday for the tournament, which starts on June 1, with skipper Steve Smith and Adam Zampa due to arrive on Monday after playing for Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL final.
CA have given the Australia Cricket Association a deadline of June 30 for players to sign a new memo of understanding and vowed to stop paying them unless an agreement is rubber stamped.
The dispute centres around CA’s desire to remove the current revenue-sharing agreement with all male and female state players.
Last week David Warner raised the prospect of players heading overseas to take up lucrative Twenty20 contracts if their wages are stopped and of an Ashes series taking place on home soil without Australia’s biggest names.
The extent of the feeling from players has been demonstrated on social media with the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and former Test stars Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson expressing support for the ACA’s stance.
