No tours without MOU deal: Smith

Australia captain Steve Smith has reaffirmed tonight that the Test outfit he leads won't agree to take part in this month's scheduled tour to Bangladesh unless an agreement on a new Memorandum of Understanding is signed.

Negotiations between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association continued today and both parties indicated progress continued to be made, but no resolution has been reached despite media reports yesterday that a deal was imminent.

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CA Chief Executive James Sutherland proposed last Thursday that if agreement on the new MOU, which was due to come into effect on July 1 could not be reached this week then the unresolved items would be sent to independent and expeditious arbitration to achieve a binding ruling.

If the ACA agreed to the arbitration process, then the 230 or so players who have been unemployed and therefore unpaid since July 1 could immediately be re-contracted which would enable them to return to playing and the two-Test Bangladesh series to go ahead as planned, Sutherland said.

However, speaking on Fox Sports' 'Back Page Live' program tonight, Smith confirmed that players would not agree to take part in the three-week tour to Bangladesh, where Australia has not toured for Test matches since 2006, if a signed MOU was not in place.

Smith expressed admiration for the members of the Australia A men's team who voted last month to boycott their scheduled tour to South Africa, in line with an ACA resolution that none of the nation's 300 or so professional players would take part in matches organised by CA until a new MOU was agreed upon.

He said the Australia A players had shown "some real courage and leadership" by foregoing an opportunity to push their future Test and ODI credentials in South Africa, and claimed it would be unfair on them if the Test players then opted to tour Bangladesh in the absence of an MOU.

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"I'd like to, but as we've said for a long time we need to get the deal done first," Smith said when asked if he expected the Bangladesh series to go ahead.

"I don't think it would be fair for us to go away after the (Australia) A guys were very strong on not going away on their tour, for us to then go away I don't think that's fair.

"CA know this, they've been told this.

"I told (CA's Executive General Manager Team Performance) Pat Howard personally that this was how things were going to be if there wasn't a deal done."

Smith said he remained hopeful a resolution could be found soon and noted that "some key elements" in the negotiations were yet to be finalised.

But he added that "some really good progress" had been made in recent days and he – along with his teammates – was looking forward to returning to the playing field as soon as possible.

He also acknowledged he has been required to walk a fine line between the players' union and CA throughout the protracted industrial dispute which began late last year.

Smith said he has been in regular contact with members of both parties' negotiating teams to act as a go-between, while continuing to pledge his support to the ACA and their commitment to maintaining the revenue share model of payment to players which remains central to the stalemate.

He claimed his position as Test and ODI captain, and the close relationship with the administrative body which that job entails, means he's been compelled to take a more conciliatory approach than some of his fellow players who have maintained a vocal presence on social media.

"It's had some difficult moments," Smith said tonight.

"When this is all over with, I have to deal with Pat Howard, I have to deal with the (CA) Board and speak to James Sutherland so I have to be careful with what sort of lines I tread.

"Some guys have been really vocal on social media and I think the way for me to lead in this dispute is to be able to talk to guys behind the scenes that are at the table and doing the job.

"Talking to the two parties and trying to figure out what each of them want and the best way forward.

"I've been talking to Alistair (Nicholson, ACA Chief Executive) and Pat Howard on the phone most days so it's been a long process and hopefully it comes to a close soon."

Smith said he would have preferred for the dispute to have been played out behind closed doors rather than in the very public form it has taken, but claimed that despite some of the rancour it has produced he did not believe that relationships would be permanently damaged once a deal was reached.