Australian Players Dispute

Update: 27 October 1997 _________________________________________________________________

In developments over the weekend surrounding the dispute between the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) surrounding the latter's log of claims, the ACB have organised a meeting of with all state captains at the ACB office in Melbourne on Wednesday October 29 to discuss the ACB's financial situation. Initially the ACA was not invited to participate, however ACA representative Tim May has now been invited to attend the meeting. NSW captain Mark Taylor will be unavailable because he is captaining NSW against New Zealand in a one-day match that day, but Steve Waugh (who is also a member of the ACA players' executive) will attend on his behalf.

In other related news over the last three days, ACA consultant James Erskine said on a television interview that he would welcome the involvement of a senior ex-player as a mediator in the dispute, and put forward the name of Richie Benaud. Mr Benaud later rejected this suggestion.

Rumours have still be circulating of the possibilities of strike or boycott action as early as the Australian XI v Australian Cricket Academy game on Tuesday October 28, however these have been played down. May and senior players connected with the ACA have not discounted strike action as an option, but all have considered it to be a last resort.