Negotiations between Cricket Australia and the players' association (the ACA) have broken down, with the players apparently threatening strike action. For some reason Warner appears to be the players' spokesman rather than Smith:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/c ... 97963.htmlApparently the issue in dispute is CA's plan to carve up the current pay model, whereby the players receive a fixed percentage of the revenue generated by CA (ticket sales, TV rights etc.). The new model would see them as fixed salary employees rather than partners.
The squad is threatening to strike from 1 July when the current contract expires, and to piss off to play T20 in England or the Caribbean. They've also stated that the Ashes could be on the line.
Personally I think that's just posturing - the chances that this won't be resolved in six months is minimal, and CA would no doubt find some replacement players if the current contracted players do disappear (and no doubt an Australian second XI would still thump England at home
). But there are a couple of important points at stake here. Franchise T20 has given the players a lot more earning and bargaining power than they had even a few years ago. And as is being shown by the current diabolical state in the West Indies, top players are happy to become travelling T20 mercenaries rather than represent their country if they are not fairly rewarded for it.
One does wonder if this will affect performance in the Champions Trophy if this is still hanging over the squad in two weeks' time, but the Aussies are probably professional enough to leave off-field matters off-field.