Impasse continues; deadline extended

Faced with the very real possibility of its tournament in Sri Lanka turning out to be a complete disaster, the ICC today began what could well be a climbdown on the contracts issue, saying a solution was unlikely before next week. It also sent an emissary to talk to the Indian players, whose presence in Colombo is vital for the tournament8217;s success.

The deadline has already been deferred once till tomorrow; with several top teams 8212; including India and Australia 8212; yet to sign on the dotted line, another extension appears likely.

8216;8216;We are in touch with the member boards and also the players8217; associations. We are hopeful that a solution will emerge by next week8217;8217;, ICC spokesman Mark Harisson said in London.

There is still no clarity on what stand the Indian players will take, though BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya is working overtime to salvage the situation. He told The Indian Express: 8216;8216;The Board is very sympathetic to the players8217; cause, and we are looking at their apprehensions. But the Board also has a position with the ICC. This isn8217;t an easy situation, and every hour something new comes up. I am in touch with both the players and the ICC and I am making all efforts to settle this issue as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow night or on Saturday we will have a clear view.8217;8217;

Dalmiya8217;s willingness to effect a compromise when he would, otherwise, have gone to battle with the ICC, suggests the fault in this particular case is his. Today, his predecesor AC Muthiah said the agreement signed by him didn8217;t have the contentious clauses; they were added later. It echoes what his secretary, Jaywant Lele, said yesterday and adds to the belief that Dalmiya messed things up.

In Chelmsford, where the Indian cricketers are on tour, team manager Ranga Reddy said he8217;d passed on their feelings to Dalmiya. 8216;8216;They did raise a couple of issues and Dalmiya promised to look into them. He is in consultation with the ICC and the players are hoping for an early solution so that they can fully concentrate on cricket8217;8217;, Reddy said.

The ICC also made its first move towards the players, its general manager for cricket, Dave Richardson, meeting a few Indian players 8212; reportedly Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble 8212; last night to explain the ICC8217;s position and commitment to their sponsors.

If the BCCI and ICC are in a bind, so are the Indian cricketers. On the one hand, they desperately want to play at Colombo, and follow up on their Lord8217;s success. On the other, there is the fear of reprisal from sponsors.

One Indian player with the touring party, refusing to be quoted, said there was no reason for them to play their cards at this stage since they are not alone in this deadlock with ICC.

Meanwhile, even as New Zealand and West Indies said their cricketers would sign the form, South African players look set to join the row. Tony Irish, chief executive of the South African Cricketers8217; Association, said several players already had individual agreements in place and that the ICC did not have the right to control players8217; image rights.

8216;8216;The rights to the tournaments have been sold to event sponsors, but the players8217; rights haven8217;t been procured from the players,8217;8217; he said.