Cricket Australia (CA) is preparing a massive new contract for captain Pat Cummins, and the move could become a big problem for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, especially Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and other T20 leagues around the world.
Pat Cummins is all set to face a grueling test schedule, featuring 21 tests in 12 months, including big series against India, England, and South Africa, apart from the white-ball games and franchise assignments. Given that, the fast bowler might be forced to make a tough call, so Cricket Australia wants to provide its top cricketers with financial security so that franchises cannot lure them.
Cricket Australia offered a monster deal to Pat Cummins
As reported by The Age, Pat Cummins has been offered a long-term deal till 2029 that could take his earnings close to 4 million dollars every year. The new contract is seen as Cricket Australia’s big step to protect its star players, including Travis Head, from the growing attraction of franchise cricket.
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The franchise leagues around the world are offering huge money to top cricketers, and Australian officials reportedly do not want players like Cummins and Head leaving international cricket to focus only on T20 tournaments. If Pat Cummins accepts the offer, he could earn nearly 12 million dollars over the next three years from Cricket Australia alone.
It is being said that the deal includes more guaranteed money than before, meaning he will still receive major payments even if injuries or workload management reduce the number of matches he plays. Cummins is already one of the biggest names in world cricket.
Travis Head and other Australian stars are also in CA’s plans
Along with his IPL salary and brand endorsements, the Australian captain’s total earnings last year were reportedly close to 10 million dollars. But despite already making huge money, Cricket Australia still wants to secure its future with the national team for the long term.
Earlier, Pat Cummins and Head were offered around 10 million dollars to move fully into franchise cricket, which increased concerns inside the Australian board, which has now started planning bigger contracts for its all-format cricketers.
Head is also likely to receive a major salary rise because of his strong performance. Even Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green are reportedly part of Cricket Australia’s long-term plans.
Cricket Australia ready for big money battle to protect star players
CA’s head of cricket, James Allsopp, has confirmed that they are planning to give financial security to the all-format players and most demanded white-ball stars.
Allsopp stated, as quoted by The Age, “That’s definitely a priority at the moment. One thing we do know is that the market pressure is coming at the players who drive the most commercial value. Your multi-format players like Pat, Josh [Hazlewood], and Trav—there’s a lot of demand for those players. So, ensuring they remain committed to Australian cricket is a really big priority. The market pressure is coming for the top players, and we need to make sure those players continue to be committed to playing for Australia and the BBL.”
The official further added, “The two priorities, in my mind, are making sure multi-format players that drive a lot of commercial value and also performance value for the team are well looked after and we can compete with those market forces and then also our specialist white-ball players. They’re in pretty high demand. There’s a world now where they can jump on the franchise circuit and make a really good living away from Australian cricket, or even away from our BBL, and that’s not going to be in the best interests of Australian cricket.”
