Negotiations between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) look to finally be progressing in an effort to save the upcoming summer of cricket, which include the all important Ashes series.
The developments come as the ACA all but conceded it was unlikely CA would agree to their increased pay demands as the governing body's own revenue projections appear to be bleaker than expected.
The ACA's original demands were based on revenue projections from a third-party.
The parties are understood to be working towards a payment pool of $500 million, $200 million more than the last agreement.
While the new agreement will include female cricketers, players are still expected to receive a hefty pay rise.
With the total player payments almost finalised, the attention will turn to how the money is distributed.
The union is pushing for a greater share for players at the lower end of the pay scale, mainly state and female cricketers. The union has also demanded a significant proportion of CA's revenue is to be reinvested into grassroots cricket.
With tickets for the Ashes Tests in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide selling fast, CA and the ACA will be desperate to avoid a compromised or even cancelled summer.
Early-bird tickets for the Perth Test, expected to be the final Ashes match at the WACA, go on sale next week.
