Cricket Australia (CA) is preparing a huge new contract for captain Pat Cummins, and the move could become a big problem for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, especially Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and other T20 leagues around the world.
Pat Cummins is all set to face a tough Test schedule, comprising 21 Tests in 12 months, which includes big series against India, England and South Africa in addition to white-ball games and franchise assignments. Given this, the fast bowler may be forced to take a tough decision, so Cricket Australia wants to provide financial security to its top cricketers so that franchises do not tempt them.
Cricket Australia offered great deal to Pat Cummins
According to The Age report, Pat Cummins has been offered a long-term deal until 2029, which could see him earn close to $4 million per year. The new contract is being seen as a big step by Cricket Australia to protect its star players, including Travis Head, from the growing attraction of franchise cricket.
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Franchise leagues around the world are offering huge sums of money to top cricketers, and Australian officials reportedly do not want players like Cummins and Head to leave international cricket and focus only on T20 tournaments. If Pat Cummins accepts the offer, he could earn around $12 million over the next three years from Cricket Australia alone.
That being said, the deal includes more guaranteed money than before, meaning that even if the number of matches he plays is reduced due to injuries or workload management, he will still receive the major payout. Cummins is already one of the biggest names in world cricket.
Travis Head and other Australian stars also in CA’s plans
With his IPL salary and brand endorsements, the Australian captain’s total earnings last year were reportedly close to $10 million. But despite already earning huge money, Cricket Australia still wants to secure his future with the national team for the long term.
Earlier, Pat Cummins and Head were offered around $10 million to come into franchise cricket entirely, raising concerns inside the Australian board, which has now started planning big contracts for its all-format cricketers.
Head is also likely to get a big salary hike due to his strong performance. Even Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green are reportedly part of Cricket Australia’s long-term plans.
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Cricket Australia is ready to fight for big money for the security of star players.
CA’s head of cricket, James Allsopp, has confirmed that they are planning to give financial security to players across all formats and the most sought-after white-ball stars.
“It’s certainly a priority at the moment,” Allsop was quoted as saying by The Age. “One thing we know is that the market pressure is coming on the players who have the most commercial value. Your multi-format players like Pat, Josh [Hazlewood]And Trav—those players are in high demand. So, making sure they remain committed to Australian cricket is a really big priority. There are market pressures on the top players and we need to make sure those players remain committed to playing for Australia and the BBL.
The official further added, “In my mind, the two priorities are to ensure that the multi-format players who also provide a lot of commercial value and performance value to the team are well looked after and we can compete with those market forces and then our specialist white-ball players. They are in quite high demand. There is now a world where they can jump onto the franchise circuit and make a really good living away from Australian cricket, or even away from our BBL, And it would not be in the best interests of Australian cricket.”
