The Ashes: Australian cricketers in line for significant payday after dominant 4-1 series win over England

Australia’s Ashes domination has earned its stars a rich new pay day, with one under-the-radar hero set to cash in big time. The 4-1 series thumping of the woeful English tourists have locked the players into a lucrative bonus of around $1.6 million, which is shared among players, including Ashes guns Travis Head, Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith, who are already on rich Cricket Australia contracts. The four Test victories ensures the national team finish their contracting period — which runs until April — inside the top two teams in the world in the format. Unsung hero Michael Neser — who entered the team midway through the series and was one of Australia’s best players across his three matches — has triggered an upgrade on his contract, which means the governing body must pay the difference between his contract with Queensland and a base deal with the national team. Opener Jake Weatherald will be upgraded under the same arrangement. The payday is part of a deal signed between the players and Cricket Australia in 2023. Australia are ranked No.1 in the world, owning a comfortable margin second-placed South Africa and third-placed England. The ICC’s rankings take results from the last four years into account, with a greater weighting put on recent games. Payment of the bonus depends on where Australia are ranked in on April 1 but no more Test cricket will be played anywhere in the world until England start their home summer against New Zealand in June, meaning they are guaranteed to be in their current position on that date. Players who do not hold a CA contract — as the pair did not coming into the series — are able to earn one by playing in three Test matches, as well as six international white-ball games or a combination of the formats. Both Weatherald and Neser will have the earnings from their State contracts topped up to the minimum CA retainer for a men’s player of around $350,000. Weatherald played in all five Tests but managed only 201 runs at an average of 22.34, while Neser, who featured in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, collected 15 wickets and added 75 runs in an impressive series. A number of Australia’s Test heroes have now returned to the Big Bash League for the back end of the T20 competition. Retiring batter Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne featured for Brisbane Heat against Sydney Thunder on Saturday, only two days after a run of five Tests spanning just eight weeks ended on Thursday. Stand-in captain Steve Smith’s return to Sydney Sixers was ruined by rain on Saturday, with the Sixers also expected to regain the services of Ashes player of the series Mitchell Starc later in the tournament.