Australian players ask for more freedom of expression

A survey conducted by the Australian Cricketers' Association has revealed that a high percentage of current and former cricketers are disenchanted by the Australian board's code of conduct, which, they claim, gag the players from expressing their opinions on various issues.

According to a report in The Sun-Herald, 91% of the players were "frustrated by their lack of ability to provide honest feedback on cricket-related issues". The article quoted Tim May, the ACA chief executive, as saying: "Cricketers have intelligent views and want to be able to offer their opinions freely in the media, as long as they are responsible. Cricket Australia hasn't changed the code, but we hope their intention will be to not police it as stringently as they have in the past because players have been unfairly muzzled and penalised." The issue of allowing cricketers more freedom of speech is expected to be a high-priority topic in next month's meeting between the board and the players' association.

Looking ahead to the meeting, a Cricket Australia spokesman admitted that both parties need to discuss the issue and reach an agreement. "We've talked to the players about the importance of them being able to talk about issues and for the public to know what the players think. The public owns the game and they have an interest in what's going on. There are a lot of discussions ahead of us."

May also disclosed that the players were unhappy about the number of promotional appearances that they were forced to participate in as part of their contract with the board. Under the current terms, the players are expected to make 28 promotional appearances.

"Players are finding that two days before a Test they have to fit in promotional appearances and that affects their preparations," May told the daily. "There is also a concern about protecting some players from overexposure. Brands tend to want to align themselves with individuals rather than the team as a whole. There is a need to protect the way these players' images are being used and also to make sure they can prepare properly for matches."