Chennai: The BCCI has sent its reservations about the Members' Participation Agreement (MPA) to the ICC. Confirming this to The Hindu, Board secretary Niranjan Shah said, "Yes, we have explained where and why we would need some changes."

Queried about the Board's primary area of concern, he replied, "They pertain to certain marketing clauses, issues that are commercial in nature, that affect both the BCCI and the players."

Mr. Shah was unhappy over the ICC's desire to have direct talks with the Indian players. "This is simply not possible. They have to go through the BCCI. In any case, the views of the players and their areas of concern are part of our reply to the ICC on the MPA. The BCCI has to protect the players' interest also and it will do so."

Copies sent

Copies of the MPA were sent to India captain Rahul Dravid and a few other senior cricketers. And their suggestions, as Mr. Shah revealed, had been incorporated in the BCCI's response to the ICC.

Once again, the Board secretary refused to be drawn into a discussion on an ICC deadline pertaining to MPA, which relates to all the ICC-run tournaments after the 2007 World Cup till 2015. "What do they mean by a deadline. There is still a lot of time left. As far I can see, it is simply a mechanism to get things moving."

Asked when he expected the ICC to reply back, Mr. Shah said, "I really don't know. But it might not take very long if the ICC adopts a flexible attitude. I believe there is a lot of weight in our case."

He also made it clear that the BCCI's sponsorship agreements would have to be respected by the Indian players too. "We are not bothered about what happens in Australia or some other place, whether they have the team sponsor logo on their trousers or not. As far as we are concerned, our sponsorship deals with Sahara and Nike will have to be adhered to by the players in their current form."

Mr. Shah added, "We have not interfered with the players' individual contracts. And so many of the Indian cricketers endorse so many products. It is only fair that the players also understand the contractual obligations of the Board, which includes what they wear on the ground. The Board sponsorship should come first."

He added the Board was in constant touch with the players. "You see we had reached an agreement with the players at the time of signing the contracts with Sahara and Nike. I don't see why some should have any reservation now."

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