Starc gets $1 mn CA contract

Melbourne - Fast bowler Mitchell Starc was rewarded with an annual contract of $1 million as Cricket Australia (CA) Wednesday announced a list of 20 contracted players for the year 2013-2014 keeping in mind the Ashes in July.

Those who missed out were Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Jackson Bird, David Hussey and all-rounder Moises Henriques.

CA also increased the list of contracted player from 17 to 20. Last year, CA had cut down the list from 25 to 17.

John Inverarity, Rod Marsh, Andy Bichel and Mickey Arthur were the National Selection Panel (NSP) members who formulated the list.

Inverarity said: “The National Selection Panel has chosen a group of players who have performed well in the past 12 months and who we expect to feature prominently in the Australian Test, ODI and T20I sides for the 2013-14 season.”

Of the 20 players on the 2013-14 contract list all currently hold a CA playing contract. The 17 players initially contracted for the 2012-13 season played a significant role in selections across the various formats during the season. Those upgraded to the contract list during the season all proved their worth.

Six of the nine players upgraded to the contract list during the 2012-13 season have been rewarded with contracts for the full 2013-14 season, these being George Bailey, Ed Cowan, James Faulkner, Phillip Hughes, Glenn Maxwell and Clint McKay.

All of these players staked their claims for a contract for the 2013-14 period by way of their performances and the expectation of the role they will play during the coming 12 months.

Last year 17 players were initially selected for the contracted players list, with an additional nine players upgraded to contracts during the season, having fulfilled the playing requirements to warrant an upgrade.

Contract list: George Bailey, Michael Clarke, Ed Cowan, Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Shane Watson.