Wellington: Hopes of a resolution in New Zealand Cricket's pay strike dissolved on Friday night when Players Association spokesman Rob Nichol labelled New Zealand Cricket's final offer "cowardly", the 'Dominion Post' reported on Saturday. The players' demand is for a 60 per cent or 2.7 million NZ Dollar increase but NZC's latest offer is 450,000 or just over five per cent. If the players do not budge then NZC will attempt individual contracts for the best possible team to play India in the first Test, starting at Wellington's Basin Reserve on December 12. "The players must now choose whether they wish to be involved in our first-class programme," NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said. "If there are players who don't want to be involved we will simply move on and use the services of those who do. I will use whatever players are available to keep cricket operating in this country." New Zealand Cricket has offered the players an extra 300,000 NZ dollars ($ 145,000) and wants a response by Tuesday afternoon otherwise it will suspend negotiations, approach players directly, cancel the Max and review the first-class programme. Snedden's latest offer would see top domestic players earn up to 37,500 NZ dollars ($18,000) an increase of 5,000 NZ dollars ($2,400) on the original offer. Snedden said he was unsure where the extra 300,000 NZ dollars would come out of its budget, but admitted grassroots cricket and some elite programmes would be affected. "I'm facing what I think is a major crisis for cricket at the moment. I'm trying to resolve a major impasse, I'm recognising the harm that's doing to cricket." Nichol said the presentation of NZC's offer resembled a deal with a loaded gun behind it and called it a desperate attempt to test the resolve of his players, the Post said. "It's been packaged as a threat and is nothing short of bully tactics and cowardly," Nichol said. Nichol also said NZC was set to receive more money, up to 25 million NZ dollars ($12 million), from a five-year International Cricket Council deal than it was letting on. But Snedden rebuffed the claim. He said: "Anyone who has read those figures would know that, although we are scheduled to receive large lump-sum payments in the future, they are just part of our four-year plan and are needed to offset the much smaller annual turnovers in subsequent years."

Tags: cricket, wellington, pay strike, players association, rob nichol, new zealand cricket, dominion post, individual contracts, wellington, basin reserve, martin snedden, international cricket council.