Cricket: Pay row could haunt careers

By RICHARD BOOCK

The cricketers' pay crisis was thrown into deeper turmoil yesterday after New Zealand Cricket boss Martin Snedden refused to rule out irreparable damage to players' careers.

After a day comprising a raucous players' association media conference, more verbal salvos from former Black Cap Dion Nash and allegations of NZC making direct approaches, the pay dispute remained at an impasse.

Given until 4pm yesterday to accept NZC's final offer, the association rejected the chance to reach a resolution and instead made a counter offer - to resume playing if mediation was restarted.

In response, NZC lived up to its word of cutting off bargaining and will now attempt to find enough players for the first test against India, starting on December 12.

Snedden said it was a "terrifically sad day for New Zealand cricket", but that there was a need to protect and administer the game for all stakeholders rather than solely concentrating on the 120 players represented by their union.

Asked if he thought that players' careers could be destroyed by the standoff, he declined to rule out the suggestion and instead expressed a desire to see a sensible solution.

"I really hope not," he said of the question of careers suffering. "My hope is that sense will prevail and that we can find a way through this - without suffering any casualties.

"But we're determined to continue with the season and will endeavour to sign the players we need for the start of the season."

Nash, who attended yesterday's media conference with fellow association spokesmen Rob Nichol and Heath Mills, vented his feelings for the second time in as many days during an extraordinary attack on NZC.

The former allrounder, whose career ended this year after a succession of injuries, accused his former employers of railroading players into settlements, not negotiating and showing little interest in their concerns.

"From the very first moment I was picked for New Zealand I struck a problem with talking and negotiating with NZC," he said.

"That continued every year - a contract would come up, we would have the same issues and every time it would get heated and debated."

He claimed NZC had a very successful way of dealing with the situation: "They choose the top two or three players, they pay them very well and the rest of you can go to hell ... "

Nichol said NZC had already unsuccessfully approached two players, something Snedden said he had no knowledge of, but could not entirely rule out, considering the players were still training and preparing within their respective provinces.

"All I can say is that I haven't heard anything about it, and that certainly no-one has been authorised by NZC to act in that manner," he said.

All-rounder Chris Cairns emphasised yesterday that he was anxious for the international season to start without a hitch, so that he could make a long-awaited return after months off through injury.

Cairns, at present touring the country promoting his biography Chris Cairns, is possibly looking at his swansong season for the Black Caps and makes no bones about his desire to get on the field.

"I certainly do. It's my passion, and I'm itching to start playing and very hopeful that nothing will stop that," he said in Dunedin.

He defended the lack of comment from international players, suggesting that others had been chosen on their behalf and that it would be inappropriate to speak out individually.

"I suppose we're only a few members of the association and there are a hundred other players all around New Zealand," he said.

"A voice has been chosen, and that's guys like Rob Nichol and Heath Mills.

"It's probably a bit unfair for me or any of the other senior players to speak on behalf of everybody."