November 12 Tuesday 2002
Victory for NZ cricket chiefs as strike over

AUCKLAND: A strike by New Zealand's top cricket players ended Monday after agreement was reached in a pay dispute, New Zealand Cricket said. Chief executive Martin Sneddon said they can now put in place a player contract system for a four-year period.

Under the agreement the player payment pool has increased by 100,000 NZ (US$50,000) dollars, from that in the November 1 offer, to 5.1 million. 

"We can now look forward to the start of the domestic and international seasons," Sneddon said. The deal has saved the India cricket tour of New Zealand next month, and headed off the potentially embarrassing prospect of the Kiwis fielding a side of retired players and juniors. The conclusion of the dispute followed the intervention on Sunday of Test stars Stephen Fleming and Chris Cairns, who took over negotiations on behalf of New Zealand's professional cricketers.

Fleming and Cairns stepped in to take control from players' representative Rob Nichol, whose confrontational style was believed by disgruntled players to have contributed to the impasse. Talks between 128 members of the Cricket Players Association and NZC broke down last week after the players turned down pay increases ranging between 11-18 percent for international and domestic professionals. The players were demanding a 60 percent pay increase, on the basis of a multi-million dollar television rights payout in five years. The breakdown left New Zealand cricket in turmoil, with first class sides set to draft in a motley band of retired former players and junior cricketers to fill the void.

Public opinion was firmly behind New Zealand Cricket's refusal to meet the players' demands, and the striking players cause was hardly helped by newspaper reports last weekend which said the dispute had turned ugly. 

Senior players were alleged to have exerted pressure on youngsters not to break the strike, with at least one up-and-coming player reduced to tears over the edict.