Fresh tension as Nine declares it wants a say in team selection Stand: CA chief James Sutherland. Less than three weeks have passed since Channel Nine and Cricket Australia sealed a new $450 million alliance and already they are at each other's throats. The long-time cricket broadcaster made headlines last summer when it protested the rotation of players in the Australian team for one-day internationals. Now, there is fresh tension after a leading Nine executive told a business lunch in Sydney the network expected to have a greater say not only in scheduling but in team selection. While Nine managing director Jeff Browne said he was aware maintaining players' fitness was of concern to CA management, he made no secret of his view on the implementation of any rotation policy. "I understand why sports want to do that, but people at home want to see the best players playing and we urge Cricket Australia to pick the best players every time ... we've got to have the best players on the paddock to rate," Browne said. I think we've got a better understanding on that. Last year that balance was skewed too much in favour of resting some players so from now on there will be a lot more discussion between CA and the broadcaster about that. I am not pushing a black letter-print solution because I believe the discussions we've had with them so far will give us a solution. CA chief executive James Sutherland responded late on Wednesday, countering a suggestion Nine would have any say in the make-up of national teams. The renewed relationship, which secured the network retention of the coverage of international cricket in Australia for the next five years, seems already on the rocks. "Cricket has a long-standing and successful relationship with the Nine Network but team selections and scheduling are matters for Cricket Australia," Sutherland said. The national selection panel selects the Australian teams. With the volume of international cricket being played, it will continue to be necessary for us to manage player workloads appropriately. We'll continue to consult with our broadcasters on scheduling issues. It's something we have always done. We have a common goal with our broadcast partners to maximise the number of fans watching and enjoying cricket. We'll consider all ideas and then make the appropriate decisions. 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. A priority is to ensure the first Test of the summer is switched from Brisbane to Perth and the western time zone to boost prime-time viewing on the east coast.