SYDNEY (AFP): Chief Executive of Cricket Australia has warned that the board could lose ‘hundreds of millions’ of dollars if this year’s tour of India is scrapped amid coronavirus.
The Chief Executive, Kevin Roberts informed that Cricket Australia had already lost $12.6 million since the start of the coronavirus crisis, a figure that would increase if India cannot tour.
He said, “If you contemplate the prospect of the international season, in particular, being affected, we have an issue of hundreds of millions of dollars on our hands, so it’s very important we plan proactively for that.”
He also informed that Cricket Australia was considering extending the four-Test series to five games. “Australia and India had a shared desire to move to a five-Test series in the future,” he added.
“We don’t know what prospect there is of that next season, but certainly with a changing landscape, we won’t rule out a possibility of that until we get closer to the time,” he said.
The Chief Executive also said that [creative solutions] may be needed as discussions continue behind the scenes about potential cuts to players’ pay.
Cricket Australia has already sent home most of its administrative staff on reduced pay. In this regard, Roberts said that it was necessary to stave off financial disaster in case of further disruption this year.
“We respect the player payment model that is in place now, and we intend to continue respecting that,” Roberts concluded.
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