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Dispute with Indian team resolved: ICC

G. VISWANATH

MUMBAI SEPT. 6. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said today that it has resolved the dispute with the Indian team and that, pending the agreement of one ICC sponsor, it was now up to the BCCI to decide if it wanted its best players to represent India at the ICC Champions Trophy next week in Sri Lanka.

The ICC president, Malcolm Gray, said the meeting with the Indian players had identified a potential way forward and that all other countries participating in the tournament had agreed to a compromise. "The situation today is that following discussions between the ICC and the Indian players there is now an agreement that is acceptable to both the ICC and the players. There have been compromises on both sides. Pepsi, LG Electronics, Hero Honda and South African Airways have been very understanding and want to see the best Indian players represent their country. We are now awaiting the final agreement of one sponsor to the proposed solution that will clear the way for the players to take their place in the squad — if the BCCI picks them," said Mr. Gray.

The ICC chief executive, Malcolm Speed, confirmed that the compromise relates to the two key player concerns over the ability of sponsors to use the players' images for six months after the event, as well as a proposed restriction of 30 days after the tournament on players' personal sponsors that conflict with the tournament sponsors using the players' images. "In relation to the six-months issue, the reality is that given the sponsor programmes being put in place, no sponsor is intending to use the players' images in this way and this clause will not become an issue for the ICC Champions Trophy," said Mr. Speed.

"The 30-day exclusion period after the tournament has been reduced to 16 days which is the day before the start of India's Second Test against the West Indies. It is longer than the players wanted but shorter than the ICC and its sponsors were seeking. It is a pragmatic solution to a difficult issue." Mr. Speed also said that the ICC had now received a directive from the BCCI that it was no longer authorised to negotiate with the players. In these circumstances, the responsibility for accepting the agreement now reverted back to the BCCI.

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