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Pay cut for top Oz players

A Sydney newspaper said on Tuesday that leading Australian Test cricketers, who have spent a year campaigning for more money, face pay cuts this season.

The report said that the Australian Cricket Board has reduced the contracts to its top six players -- Mark Taylor, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Ian Healy and Glenn McGrath.

Last season, Australia's top six players were paid a base contract fee of about $120,000. The report says that this figure has been reduced to between $96,000 and $114,000 for this season.

The money thus saved will go to domestic Sheffield Shield players, lower-tier ACB players and the players' bargaining agent, James Erskine.

Mark Waugh and others are reportedly angry over the move, with Mark being quoted as saying the pay cut was "insane.''

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed for his part says he was happy with the system, said he was happy with the system and said it was put into place with the players' assistance.

"What we are putting in place is exactly what has been suggested by the players' association,'' Speed said.

UNI