On Thursday, Australian skipper Steve Smith sent out a series of tweets acknowledging the Australia Cricketers’ Association’s efforts which finally paid off as the long-running pay dispute with Cricket Australia came to an end.

The pay dispute between CA and the ACA ended with both parties finally coming to an agreement. Nearly 250 cricketers were out of a contract after the previous Memorandum of Understanding expired on June 30. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland is expected to announce details of the new five-year Memorandum of Understanding later in the day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at a press conference.

Smith immediately took to Twitter to express his joy. “Great to get a deal done! It’s been a long and challenging process and it’s great that we can now get on with playing the game that we all love,” tweeted Smith. He also thanked ACA for their efforts on behalf of the players. He added that he was excited for the upcoming season, with Bangladesh, India and Ashes on the cards. “I look forward to Bangladesh, India and an exciting summer of Ashes cricket,” he tweeted.

Vice-captain David Warner was delighted about the outcome of the protracted negotiations.

Other Aussie cricketers, both former and current, were also happy with the outcome and took to Twitter to express themselves.