BCCI bowls a bouncer at players

In a desperate bid to ensure participation of its top cricketers in next month’s Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, the Indian cricket boar...

In a desperate bid to ensure participation of its top cricketers in next month’s Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, the Indian cricket board has asked the players to sign the contract for the upcoming event only, promising to sort out the matter with the game’s governing body at a later stage.

The Indian board, which has found itself in a bind with top players reluctant to sign the contract which cuts down their commercial independence, has told the team that it would be in a position to discuss the issue at length with the International Cricket Council only after the Champions Trophy.

Kapil asks Board to protect players’ interest
Bangalore: Former India captain Kapil Dev today came out in support of players unwilling to sign the ICC contract, saying the cricket board should take care of the interests of the players. “The board should take care of the interests of the players,” Kapil told reporters here when his reaction was sought on the raging contract issue. He ducked further questions on the matter, saying he had not paid much attention to it as he was busy “with something else.” Story continues below this ad Pak players to sign Islamabad: Even as the stand-off over sponsorship issue continued between the ICC and some cricket-playing nations, Pakistan said its players would sign the contract by Monday. “Pakistan considers ICC as the supreme body and then there is no direct clash of interest between the Pakistan players and ICC over the sponsors of its tournament,” Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said in Tangiers where his team is playing a three-nation one-day series with Sri Lanka and South Africa. (Agencies)

While taking note of the resentment generated by the controversial sponsorship policy, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya had written a letter to the team saying that the situation could go beyond redemption if the players did not sign the contract now for the Champions Trophy, board sources said.

BCCI has told the players that should they sign the players’ terms form, it would inform ICC that the assurances and agreements are extended only for the Champions Trophy and it would take up the matter with the apex body by October 31.

BCCI has placed the argument that since it is bound by the contractual obligation to send its best team to Sri Lanka, it has very little breathing space now. All the affiliated boards have signed the agreement which lasts till 2007.

After initially rejecting BCCI’s request, the players have sought more time to reconsider their decision, the sources said.

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Coach John Wright, who had kept himself in the background till now, has also come in the picture and told the players to think afresh on the issue which has threatened to jeaopardise the mega-event in Sri Lanka.

Wright reportedly told the players that BCCI had always stood by the team and they should keep this factor in mind when taking a final decision.

The players feel the ICC restrictions were “unfair and unreasonable” since some of the terms in the contract adversely affected their endorsement deals, the sources said.

The senior players were also unhappy that they were not consulted before BCCI finally signed the contract on May 28, last year. The players were expected to have a discussion on this issue either today or tomorrow and a clear picture will emerge in the next couple of days.

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Apart from Sachin Tendulkar who has been a major draw for the corporates, captain Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag have been been the main casualties of ICC’s controversial sponsorship policy which bars the players from appearing in advertisement campaigns one month before and after an ICC tournament.

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