Channel Nine wants 'greater say' in Oz team selection despite CA stance

Fresh tensions have erupted between Cricket Australia (CA) and Channel Nine after a leading Nine executive reportedly said that the network expected to have a greater say not only in scheduling but also in team selection.

This comes after CA rejected suggestions that Channel Nine would influence team selection and scheduling as part of its new 450 million-dollar deal on TV rights.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Nine managing director Jeff Browne said that although he was aware that maintaining players' fitness was a concern of CA management, he made no secret of his view on the implementation of any rotation policy.

Stating that Australian fans want to see the best players playing, Browne urged CA to pick the best cricketers each time, adding that from now on there will be more discussions between CA and Nine on players' selection so as to avoid the skewing of balance towards of resting some players like last year.

However, Browne further said that he is not pushing a black letter-print solution because he believes that the discussions the channel had with CA so far will give them a solution.

But CA chief executive James Sutherland had rejected the deal's impact, especially on national selection issues, saying that although cricket has a long-standing and successful relationship with the Nine Network, but team selections and scheduling are matters only for CA.

The long-time cricket broadcaster made headlines last summer when it protested the rotation of players in the Australian team for one-day internationals.

Having been pressed to its financial limits to keep cricket following stiff competition from Network Ten, Nine has been keen to increase its influence on the scheduling of Test matches and other internationals during the Australian summer, the report added.