Test players meet to reaffirm stance on MOU progress

Australia's Test stars met in Sydney on Monday, when anger about cricket's pay saga continued to build as the departure date for a tour of Bangladesh ticked closer.

Skipper Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and other unemployed teammates came together alongside Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) bigwigs Alistair Nicholson, Shane Watson and Simon Katich.

The two-hour meeting ended with players voicing their support for the "peace plan" terms sheet submitted by the ACA last week, while reaffirming their stance regarding next month's tour of Bangladesh.

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The previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expired at the end of the financial year, at which point some 230 cricketers became unemployed.

This month's Australia A tour was boycotted because of the impasse. The next deadline in the saga is August 18, when Smith's side are due to depart for a two-Test tour of Bangladesh.

That trip won't go ahead unless there is some form of agreement between Cricket Australia (CA) and the ACA.

"Not sure the players can do much more to solve the dispute. We're really proud to offer up to an extra $30 million for grassroots," Warner posted on Twitter, referencing the terms sheet that the union sent to CA last week.

Paceman Pat Cummins tweeted that "players are as frustrated as anyone else. We want to play. Offering even more to grassroots to get a deal!!!".

It is arguably the most alarming sign yet that the Baggy Green may become embroiled in the saga.

However, there has been slow progress in recent weeks. The ACA and CA both remain upbeat the Test series will proceed as planned.

Negotiations continued on Monday. CA chief executive officer James Sutherland and players' union chief Nicholson spoke on the phone, having shared a productive meeting in person the previous day.

It's business as usual as far as National Selection Panel chairman Trevor Hohns is concerned.

Quick Single: Bangladesh sweat on fitness of key duo

Hohns' selection panel is expected to add another bowler to the 13-man Test squad soon, possibly as early as this week. Hohns will discuss the options, headlined by paceman Jackson Bird and leg-spinner Mitch Swepson, with Smith and coach Darren Lehmann.

Smith and other members of the touring party are set to assemble in Darwin for a training camp that starts on August 10.

Coaches, officials, selectors, sponsors, government, fans and other stakeholders are becoming increasingly incensed by the standoff. Sports Minister Greg Hunt recently reached out to both sides of the dispute.

An emergency ACA meeting at the start of this month passed 14 resolutions, with one detailing that "absent an MoU there are no professional cricketers presently obliged or available to tour".

AUSTRALIA SQUAD: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Wade (plus one fast bowler TBC)

BANGLADESH PRELIMINARY SQUAD: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mahmudullah Riyad, Liton Kumar Das, Mominul Haque, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Subhashish Roy, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Sanjamul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mohammad Saifuddin, Anamul Haque, Abul Hasan Raju, Al Amin Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Muktar Ali, Tanbir Haider, Saqlain Sajib, Shafiul Islam.

FIXTURES

18 August Australia arrive

22-23 August Tour match,Fatullah

27-31 August First Test, Dhaka

4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong