Pay stand-off no distraction for Australia - Starc

Australia paceman Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc said a stand-off between players and Cricket Australia over pay will not hinder their chances of success in the ICC Champions Trophy.

The Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) and the board have so far been unable to reach an agreement over salaries.

There was another twist on Thursday when the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Starc, Steve Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins have been offered three-year deals by CA's team performance manager Pat Howard, with the proviso that they skip the Indian Premier League.

Paceman Starc, recovering from a fractured foot, was giving little away when asked about the uncertainty ahead of the Champions Trophy in the UK next month.

"It wasn't in the discussions this year when I decided to pull out [of the IPL], going forward it's between the ACA and CA to come up with an MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] first and foremost, and then we'll talk about contracts once that's done," he said.

"It's not a distraction at all. That's what the ACA are there for and we've got full confidence in them. We have discussions with them from time to time with different stages of the discussions between CA and the ACA.

"We are just getting ready for the Champions Trophy. But the ACA definitely have the full support of the male and female groups and that's where it stands at this stage."

The left-arm quick also gave a positive update on his fitness.

"It was only a six or seven-week lay-off from bowling, so much easier to come back from than the last injury, which was more like seven months," he said.

"That's been positive, hasn't taken too long to get some rhythm back into the bowling, body's feeling good, spending some good time in the gym and getting some strength back. It's been a good period of rehab."