On a day when Cricket Australia was to celebrate the release of its Indigenous cricket squads, it has emerged these players have also been caught up in the ugly pay fight splitting players and the sport's governing body.
Cricket Australia, led by Test great Greg Chappell, now CA's national talent manager, on Tuesday released the men's and women's Indigenous squads as part of National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee week.
![Ashleigh Gardner was named captain of the Australian women's Indigenous cricket squad that was announced on Tuesday.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170710080759im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/s/n/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx47bn.png/1499143203118.jpg)
While the squads highlighted the improved efforts in this area by CA, it also reinforced how wide the pay fight, now into its 10th month, was having, with many players unemployed as there is no new memorandum of understanding in place.
The men's Indigenous squad is due to matches in late August against a Queensland XI, Papua New Guinea and the national performance squad, while the women's squad, captained by Ashleigh Gardner, who is in England on World Cup duty with the Australian team, will take part in a high-performance camp from August 5.
However, the protracted pay dispute between CA and the Australian Cricketers Associations means these are in doubt as all players have either national or state contracts.
CA confirmed on Tuesday the delay in securing a new memorandum of understanding could affect its Indigenous plans.
The ACA's immediate decision is to determine whether an Australia A tour of South Africa goes ahead. The 14-man squad is in camp in Brisbane and is due to fly out on Friday.
Chappell was part of the Australian team that split from the Australian Cricket Board during the World Series Cricket revolution of 1977.
He said he remained confident CA and the ACA would soon find common ground.
"I understand both sides of the argument. I expect a resolution and a positive resolution fairly soon," he said.
Chappell and Australian men's Indigenous captain Dan Christian said the pathways for Aboriginal talent have improved greatly, with numbers and the quality of talent on the rise.
Christian, who is in England playing county cricket, said he was honoured to have been named captain of the Indigenous side.
"I was lucky enough to be part of the squad that went over to England in 2009 which was a wonderful experience. To be named as captain of a full-strength team is a wonderful feeling again," he said.
Christian, the Victorian allrounder who grew up understanding his family links to the Wiradjuri tribe in south central NSW, said pathway programs were strong.
"I think it's been a great initiative with Cricket Australia, originally through the Imparja Cup and the national Indigenous championships, as well. It's a good chance for young guys to come through their states and through their communities into high-level cricket. And then to get seen by their states as well," he said.
"I just think there is a great opportunity now for young kids to make cricket a feasible career, particularly young Indigenous kids, through that pathway and the national Indigenous championships."
Chappell said participation rates had leapt from 8000 four years ago to more than 50,000.
"We would hope that in the coming years we would see more and more Indigenous players going on to represent both the male and female [teams]," he said.