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KARACHI, April 16: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has agreedto scrap one Test during their December’s tour to South Africa

Sports Reporter17-Apr-2002KARACHI, April 16: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has agreedto scrap one Test during their December’s tour to South Africa.The PCB, which is pressing the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to playthree Tests in Pakistan between Oct 1 and 24, has formally acceptedUnited Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) proposals to play twoTests during the four-week tour.A spokesman of the PCB said Pakistan will play two Tests and threeone-day internationals in Zimbabwe between first week of November andfirst week of December. He added that Pakistan will play two Tests andfive one-day internationals in South Africa between first week ofDecember and first week of January.”The exact tour dates still require some adjustments because theschedule upto next May is very tight as we have internationalcommitments one after another,” PCB director Brig Munawwar Rana said.Immediately after the World Cup, starting Feb 8, Pakistan is toparticipate in the Sharjah Cup before hosting India between April 7and May 20. The tour is subject to New Delhi’s approval.The spokesman further said the team, after completing its assignmentin South Africa in the first week of January, will not return home butwill stay back for the World Cup where it plays the opener againstAustralia on Feb 9 at Johannesburg.”The current plan is that before the World Cup starts Feb 8, we havethree weeks. The boys will get one week of (paid) holidays and theremaining two weeks will be spent on preparations, training and warmupmatches against local sides,” he said.The reduction of one Test in Africa means Pakistan are now left with amaximum of nine Tests, if Australia agree to play three Tests inOctober, and a minimum of 24 one-day internationals unto the WorldCup.The PCB official said the reduction in Tests in Africa have been madekeeping into consideration the World Cup.”South Africa proposed that instead of the third Test, two additionalone-dayers can be played which will benefit both the teams for theWorld Cup. “The proposal suited us as there is no change in playingdays in South Africa,” Rana said.South Africa are again scheduled to tour Pakistan next year inNovember. If PCB’s tit-for-tat response to Australia is taken intoconsideration, South Africa should play two Tests. Pakistan saidearlier this week that if Australia played two Tests in October, itwould also play two Tests on its return visit in December 2004. Butthe PCB spokesman said UCBSA had set no conditions.”I agree on the theory of reciprocity. But South Africa’s tour toPakistan is still open as they have not set any preconditions,” hesaid.The PCB, earlier this week, had further argued that if Australiaplayed two Tests in October, Pakistan would be labeled as a two-Testhost nation.

Barry Douglas has told the Yorkshire Evening Post that he would consider a move to Glasgow Rangers, although he is unaware of any interest from the Gers.

The Lowdown: Douglas is a Rangers fan

The 31-year-old spent last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers from Premier League outfit Leeds United, but he is now a free agent after being released by the Whites (Transfermarkt).

In the past, he has admitted to being a Rangers fan growing up.

The Latest: Douglas would consider Gers move

As a free agent, Douglas has plenty of options. While the Glaswegian admitted that he is unaware of any speculation linking him to the Gers, he added that he would have to consider a move back to his home city if the possibility were there.

When discussing his future career path with the Yorkshire Evening Post, he said: “It depends what opportunities present themselves.

“As a family it would be a lot more difficult [to go abroad] now, we’ve got a newborn and a toddler, Kayden is three next month, obviously we need to take that into consideration now. But we’d definitely be open to trying something new and getting out of the comfort zone. If it’s a new culture and a new language again absolutely. But if it’s domestic, great.”

The Verdict: Not needed

Douglas has had a solid career encompassing 320 appearances across Scotland, Turkey and Poland as well as in England. He has often proved to be a threat going forward, racking up an impressive tally of 65 career assists from left-back. Earlier this season, his attributes were described as “wonderful” by Tony Mowbray (Lancs Live).

However, it is hard to justify the Gers making a move for him. Borna Barisic is Croatia’s first-choice left-back and also chips in regularly with assists, while Calvin Bassey is just 21 years of age and has plenty of years left ahead of him to improve. While Douglas could prove to be a bargain for someone, he is a player the Gers don’t really need right now.

In other news, this Rangers man has been urged to stay at Ibrox amidst exit rumours.

Liverpool are reportedly willing to sell Takumi Minamino this summer and it would be a disastrous decision by Ralph Hasenhuttl to sign him for Southampton permanently.

The Japan international spent the second half of the season on loan at St Mary’s but struggled to win over a large percentage of the Saints faithful with his performances, yet Hasenhuttl has suggested recently that he had been impressed by the 26-year-old, saying:

“I must say. He was a very lively factor in our game, in the games he played.

“He not only scored fantastic goals but his mentality and his character really fit into our team. You can see why a club like Liverpool wanted to sign him.

“He did a good job here. We gave him a chance to show up. We will have a look what happens in the summer, we will see what Liverpool want to do. There are discussions going on but we will have a look in the summer.”

Therefore, it certainly seems as if the Austrian would be willing to sign Minamino permanently this summer should the opportunity arise.

Fortunately for the former RB Leipzig boss, it was reported by the Liverpool Echo (via Anfield Watch) recently that Jurgen Klopp’s side would be willing to cash in on him this summer, so long as they can make a profit on the £7.25m they paid to sign him in January 2020.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-southampton-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Southampton transfer rumours and news!”]

They also claim that Southampton have held discussions with Minamino, which suggests that should he depart Anfield on a permanent deal this summer, St Mary’s is a likely destination.

The £10.8m-rated attacker has struggled to adapt to the Premier League in his 18 months in England, with just three goals and no assists in 29 appearances in the top-flight with Liverpool and Southampton.

Considering Hasenhuttl has suggested that Southampton will target players under £10m this summer, a deal for Minamino would likely stretch their budget, whilst it would also be adding depth in a position where they are already quite strong.

His poor 6.42 rating from WhoScored for his performances at Southampton does little to suggest that he would be a success at St Mary’s should he join permanently but unfortunately for Saints fans, it seems as if Hasenhuttl is keen to bring him in, and after this recent update, a permanent move certainly looks to be on the cards.

It could end up being a disastrous signing if Saints do pull the plug on the Japanese star.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Djenepo: Southampton should swoop for “quality” PL beast this summer

Coach Dav Whatmore has admitted that the form of Sri Lanka’s batsmen so farin England has been a cause of concern with the First Test at Lords startingThursday now fast approaching

CricInfo12-May-2002Coach Dav Whatmore has admitted that the form of Sri Lanka’s batsmen so farin England has been a cause of concern with the First Test at Lords startingThursday now fast approaching.The tourists were forced to follow-on against Durham last week and were thenbowled out for 186 against Middlesex at Shenley on the weekend.With reference to the latest collapse, he said: “I’m not very happy withthat. It isn’t very clever. It just goes to show you are never really securein this game.””I would have liked one of the openers to have gone on, but I think thechange of pace with the ball skidding a bit had an effect. Theirmedium-pacers did well and got it to move off the seam.”Nevertheless, the top six for Lords has apparently been decided, which thenleaves a tricky decision for the number seven position between ThilanSamaraweera and Russel Arnold. The option of playing eight batsmen has alsoapparently been ruled out.In the fast bowling department, Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa are certain toplay and Whatmore explained the decision rest them before Lords.”There are no injures. They have had a lot of cricket,” he said.”We would rather build them up away from competition with training andrunning. We know what they can do.”The tours selectors – Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu and ChandraShaffter, the manager – then need to pick two more seamers, with RuchiraPerera and Charitha Fernando the favourites to play.Meanwhile, Whatmore admitted to being caught unawares by the recall ofall-rounder Dominic Cork, although he had anticipated the call-up of JohnCrawley.”Crawley has been playing very well, as has Marcus Trescothick, and possiblyAlec Stewart also,” he said.”But I’m pleasantly surprised that the other guys might be a bit short ofruns.”It looks as though they have gone for experience and it gives them a bitmore flexibility in what they want to do.”

Following the news from earlier this week that Carlo Ancelotti has departed Everton for Real Madrid, the manager could deal the Toffees a double setback by signing Richarlison this summer.

According to Football Insider, the Italian regards the Brazilian as player who could shine at the Santiago Bernabeu next season and is planning a summer raid at Goodison Park.

A deal for the former Watford man would perhaps surpass the £75m the Toffees received for Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2017, given that Everton reportedly rejected an £85m offer from Barcelona in January 2020.

The Toffees are on the hunt for a new manager following Ancelotti’s departure and their hopes of appointing a big name would not be aided should Richarlison depart this summer, as he is definitely one of the stars in this Everton side.

The 24-year-old managed seven goals and three assists in 34 Premier League appearances last season, although his performances earned him an impressive 6.98 rating from WhoScored.

Only James Rodriguez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lucas Digne were rated higher than the Brazil international in Everton’s squad last season, which emphasises just how important he is at Goodison Park; and if the Merseyside outfit want to progress next season, they need to be keeping players of Richarlison’s quality.

The £54m-rated forward is contracted until 2024, so if Ancelotti does want to bring the Brazilian with him to Real Madrid this summer, he will surely have to pay a huge fee. However, the temptation of playing in the Champions League for Los Blancos might be tough for Richarlison to turn down this summer, which could force Everton to accept a bid.

The 61-year-old is certainly a big fan of Richarlison, as he sung his praises earlier this year, saying: “Richarlison is a modern striker, a complete striker, because he works really hard. His physical statistics are really high, like a midfielder – but he has speed and he is really clinical in the box.

“He is fantastic with the head and clinical in front of the goalkeeper and his movement without the ball is really good.

“I think he can be one of the top strikers in Europe. I’m sure he can because he has all these kind of qualities and he doesn’t have a specific position on the pitch. He is really complete.”

Therefore, it would not be a surprise if the rumours are true and Ancelotti does want to prise Richarlison away from Goodison Park this summer. Given his impressive performances since joining from Watford, it would be a huge setback to Everton’s chances of securing European football next season if he were to follow his former manager to Madrid.

In other news… Brands heading for Everton disaster with “very talented” youngster, Toffees fans should be fuming

Article: Agha Akbar

Agha Akbar29-Jun-2002Since his comeback from the wilderness, Shoaib Akhtar has not just been a mega star – he’s been a match-winner too. Throughout the 2002-03 season time after time, he held a match by the scruff of its neck, and turned it around with a bunch of wickets. If his precision-guided thunderbolts were not shattering stumps, they were crushing toes.More recently, the pulverised Aussies have a new-found respect for Shoaib. Somewhat humbled, an unusual way to refer to the World Champions, we heard skipper Ricky Ponting talking of him in terms of a ‘serious threat’. Ponting said: ‘When you’re bowling 150 kilometres an hour and swinging the ball you’re always going to be hard to play. But we’ve got to find a way to combat that when the World Cup comes around’.Ponting has reason to be concerned. He too was scalped with a fast, inswinging delivery recorded at 151.1 kilometres, followed by Darren Lehmann at 150.3 and Michael Bevan at 152.3 in three back-to-back overs of sustained pace by Shoaib that left Australia tottering at 83 for six. The Aussies never recovered from Shoaib’s pounding. But will Ponting, with the help of coach John Buchanan, be able to find ways to tackle such scorching pace in the months leading up to the World Cup?It’s anyone’s guess, but the Aussie distaste for pace may now out in the open. Before Shoaib, Shane Bond and Makhaya Ntini had earlier this year exposed this particular chink in the armour; they were rewarded with the Aussie ouster in the tri-nation finals, which perhaps may have contributed to Steve Waugh’s sacking from captaincy of the one-day side. Yet between then and now, the Aussies could do precious little to counter Shoaib, or they would not have looked, and later sounded as concerned as they did after the Super Challenge series.The fact is that there never has been an answer to red-hot pace. That is why nobody, even that breed of batsmen deemed comfortable against fast bowling, truly likes super fast stuff.Anyway, for batsmen, there is further bad news from Pakistan. One has learnt on good authority, as good as the PCB Chairman, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, that Pakistan is to soon to reintroduce another pace merchant, Mohammad Zahid. One hears that Zahid has not just fully recovered from his many injuries that forced him out of international cricket for the last half of a decade; he is now busy playing for a league in Ireland.Zahid’s pace and fitness, informs Dr Tauseef Razzaq, the head of the PCB appointed doctor’s panel which is the final authority for clearing the physical state of every player vying for a spot in the national squad – are now almost as good as at his best.And at his peak, Zahid was quite a demon. In the 1997 version of the World Series Cup Down Under, he was acknowledged as the fastest in the world. In one over to Brian Lara, Zahid didn’t just get the prized wicket off the last delivery, in the bargain he had Lara jumping and fending, beating him with pace and movement in the previous five balls!Having trained him back to full fitness, Dr Tauseef vouches about Zahid’s pace. “He is quite fast, and can bowl long spells at the same pace; he could bowl as fast as Shoaib”, says Dr Tauseef. One has to believe Dr Tauseef, for it was he who nursed back Shoaib from a spate of injuries, and having done that gave him a clean bill of health. Few believed in him then, but since Shoaib has silenced all doubters through an extended season, taking Dr Tauseef’s word seriously sounds like a good idea.So with Zahid back in contention, the Pakistani pace artillery looks awesome. In Shoaib, Zahid, Sami, Razzaq, Akram and Waqar (in order of pace), they now just don’t have a quartet, they’ve a sextuplet. This really is embarrassment of riches, if ever there was one. Despite Akram and Waqar being in advanced stages of their careers, this is a pretty potent pace attack – one which could rival the various foursomes that the Caribbeans unleashed on the world between the early ’80s and early ’90s.The PCB, more specifically its chairman, is now being acknowledged to have done a good turn to the Pakistan team and to Shoaib, by not leaving him in the lurch when he was in utter bad shape physically, wayward mentally and hounded by the ‘chucking allegations’. Though this scribe was one among those who criticised him for frittering away millions on the temperamental speedster’s recovery, one now has to concede that it was money well spent. Shoaib has not just tore into batting line-ups, he has silenced his own, and his benefactor’s critics.

Yorkshire have a lot of work to do if they are to avoid another defeat at Guildford at the hands of the Championship leaders

Farid Bakri & Stephen Lamb25-Jul-2002Yorkshire have a lot of work to do if they are to avoid another defeat at Guildford at the hands of the Championship leaders. Surrey took a first-innings lead of 210 after Rikki Clarke (56), Saqlain Mushtaq (44) and James Ormond (39) ensured another impressive performance by the tail. Chris Silverwood and Ryan Sidebottom ended with three wickets apiece. Half centuries from Victor Craven (56), Darren Lehmann (55*) and Michael Lumb (68*) have taken Yorkshire to a slender lead of 44 at the close, with seven wickets remaining.An unbeaten opening partnership of 151 between Trevor Ward and Iain Sutcliffe has put Leicestershire back into their game with Kent after yesterday’s poor start at Grace Road. Matt Whiley took three for 60 as Kent were eventually bowled out for 339 today, before Sutcliffe (74*) and Ward (66*) came within 57 runs of wiping off the arrears.Nick Knight duly completed his double century, finishing unbeaten on 245 as Warwickshire were bowled out for 493 by Sussex at Edgbaston. Jason Lewry (four for 151) and Kevin Innes (three for 106) were the main wicket-takers. An unbeaten 105 from Tony Cottey was then at the core of the visitors’ reply, which had reached 237 for four at stumps, still 256 runs behind.Chris Tremlett (five for 68) and Shaun Udal (four for 25) made it a poor first day for Lancashire at The Rose Bowl. The visitors were dismissed for just 183, with an innings of 66 from Alec Swann the only substantial contribution from the visitors.In Division Two, Glamorgan hammered an incredible 499 runs in a day of drama for both sides at Chelmsford. James Foster, playing in only his third match of the season, broke his left thumb and is now expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks. It was much brighter for Glamorgan, though, as their batsmen steered them into a comfortable lead of 274. Steve James dominated throughout, recording his highest score of the season with an unbeaten 235. With Matthew Maynard (76) he added 156 for the fifth wicket as the Essex bowling fell apart. Glamorgan closed on 505 for six.Durham made a woeful reply to Nottinghamshire’s total of 362 at the Riverside. Greg Smith (four for 24) and Richard Logan (three for 36) were the pick of the bowlers as the home side were forced to follow on after being bowled out for just 116 in their first innings. Jonathan Lewis (70) and Bradley Hodge (42*) led the fight back with a second-wicket stand of 112, but Durham still need 62 runs to make the visitors bat again.Middlesex need a miracle if they are to avoid the follow-on against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. The home side were eventually dismissed for 494 after Alex Gidman (94) fell narrowly short of a maiden Championship century. Middlesex started positively in reply, with Andrew Strauss (49) leading from the front. However wickets then fell at regular intervals, and despite another impressive performance by in-form Owais Shah (65), the visitors, on 218 for six at stumps, still trail by 276 runs.Derbyshire suffered a late collapse at Northampton, as they were dismissed for 388 after losing their last seven wickets for 58 runs. Earlier, opener Andrew Gait had produced a superlative batting display, with a career-best 175 to put his side in the driving seat. He put on 156 with Chris Bassano for the second wicket before off-spinner Graeme Swann claimed six quick wickets, including Gait and Dominic Cork (released from England duty) for a duck.

Former Premier League star Dean Windass believes Mikel Arteta faces a season filled with questions after a poor campaign at Arsenal.

The Gunners boss guided the club to an eighth-placed finish, meaning they will spend next season with no European football.

In total, Arsenal took 61 points from their 38 games and ended the campaign six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

While they did win all of their final five games in the league, Arteta’s side ultimately paid the price for a poor start, as they won just four of their opening 14 matches, losing eight.

Arsenal also failed in cup competitions, being knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton in the fourth round, and by Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. Villarreal, managed by former boss Unai Emery, knocked Arsenal out in the semi-finals of the Europa League en route to winning the competition, beating Manchester United on penalties in the final.

Windass believes that the Spaniard will subsequently be under severe pressure next season as he looks to right the ship and guide the Gunners back into Europe.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the former Hull City ace said: “Arsenal have underachieved, so the manager is going to be massively under pressure next year for Arsenal and you don’t know what you’re going to get with Arsenal.

“Next year there’ll be a massive question on everybody’s lips, is he good enough to take Arsenal to the next level? Only time will tell.”

A major transfer development has emerged regarding Ipswich target Jayden Stockley and where he will be playing his football next season.

What’s the talk?

Charlton Athletic have officially confirmed the signing of Jayden Stockley from Preston on a permanent deal. Stockley has put pen to paper on a three-year contract with Charlton to end all of the speculation about his future this summer.

The East Anglian Daily Times reported earlier this month that Stockley was a player Ipswich were keen on signing ahead of next season. They claimed that Ipswich boss Paul Cook had held talks with the club over a potential swoop for Stockley, although it isn’t clear how far those discussions went as the 27-year-old has now opted to sign for Charlton.

After a loss to Portsmouth earlier this year, former Charlton boss Lee Bowyer pointed to Jayden Stockley as the club’s shining light. He called the forward a “constant threat” and praised his all-around performance. Bowyer told London News Online:

“Balls that went up to him. Even balls that he shouldn’t even hold onto and keep, he keeps. He’s just a constant threat. Every time there’s a ball going into the box, you’re thinking, where is he? He must be a nightmare for defenders.”

“Our midfielders getting around him, when he can’t score himself he’s always looking to tee up someone else. Four or five occasions, we had shots that came from his lay-offs and their defenders got good blocks on them. I thought Jayden was very good tonight.”

Fans will be livid

Ipswich fans will be livid by this news as their club have just missed out on the chance to sign a quality striker to bolster the squad this summer. Stockley proved that he is a top-class player at League One level during his loan spell with Charlton and the Addicks will now benefit from his ability in the 2021/22 campaign.

The £5.1k-per-week beast averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.41 in League One for Charlton, as he scored eight and assisted two goals in 20 starts. For context, only two Ipswich players averaged higher than 7.00 in League One, with James Wilson (7.02) and Mark McGuinness (7.21) standing out ahead of their teammates. This highlights just how impressive Stockley was during his loan spell with Charlton and why he could have been a superb signing for the Blues.

Cook and CEO Mark Ashton will now need to work hard to identify alternative targets as goalscoring remains a huge issue for Ipswich. James Norwood was Ipswich’s top goalscorer last season with nine goals, whilst their second-top scorer was Gwion Edwards with six and he has now sealed a transfer to Wigan. This shows how Ipswich are desperately lacking at the top end of the pitch and why they need to make sure they bring in a quality striker addition, especially now they have missed out on Stockley.

AND in other news, ITFC dealt major transfer blow with “brilliant” £6.4k-p/w ace, Cook will be livid…

Money

Partab Ramchand19-Aug-2002Money. The sound of the five-letter word, even the very mentionof it, governs everything around us. ‘Money makes the world goaround’ went a popular number from the 1972 film ‘Cabaret’. It’sdifficult not to agree with that sentiment, particularly at thisjuncture when cricket faces a new crisis thanks to the ongoingcontract row between the International Cricket Council and theaffiliated units on one hand and the players and the Cricketer’sAssociations on the other. The choice before the latter is,bluntly put, money or country. Such a scenario could not havebeen imagined in the past but with mega dollars governing thegame, perhaps it is not surprising that the situation has led tothe current impasse.’Money is the root of all evil’ is a saying we all learnt whileat school. Apparently, money is also the root of all controversyand misunderstanding. The game has weathered many a crisis in thepast – , the throwing controversy and the vexedquestion of South Africa among others. But over the last 25 yearscricket has encountered more problems than it had come across inthe preceding 100 years.It’s tempting to trace the genesis of the present crisis to KerryPacker’s World Series Cricket. Besides promoting the game in arazzle-dazzle manner, it also brought in more money into cricket,made the players superstars and resulted in greater misbehaviourby the cricketers, which saw the advent of the match referee andmonetary penalties. But in marketing the game in such a colourfulway, WSC also made cricketers a marketable commodity.Soon the prima donnas, besides earning handsomely from the gamedirectly thanks to more money pouring in through televisioncoverage worldwide, could also make a pile endorsing products.Major companies signed up the superstars on exclusive contracts.With such a scenario, the present row over clash of contractswas, as the cliché goes, an accident waiting to happen. Only theword controversy should replace accident.Players and administrators are the twin pillars of the game. Itis true that spectators come to watch the cricketers in actionand it is the players who bring in the large television audience.But without the administrators bringing in more mega bucks intothe game through signed contracts with sponsors, the respectiveboards and, consequently, the players would not enjoy themonetary benefits. This is the stand taken by the ICC in thepresent controversy.Listing impressive figures, the game’s governing body has pointedout that in 2000, all Boards, through the ICC, agreed to a numberof sponsorship and personal endorsement restrictions in returnfor 550 million dollars for the commercial rights to ICC eventsthrough until 2007. The ICC is to distribute a record 102 milliondollars of this income to the Boards and the players from the ICCChampions Trophy to be held in Sri Lanka next month and the WorldCup in South Africa early next year. In addition to this payment,South Africa is to receive tens of millions of dollars to stagethe tournament, including the funding for ground redevelopmentand infrastructure while 13 million dollars is to go directly tofund the development of the game around the world.
© CricInfoIn return, the ICC is seeking to ensure that the agreementspreviously reached with the Boards are adhered to. According toICC chief executive Malcolm Speed, the Boards and the players arethe two of the key beneficiaries of the ICC’s commercialagreements. Under the circumstances, the ICC’s stance inprotecting its commercial partners appears to be consistent withother sports and based on cricket’s previous experience.Given this well-established precedent, it would be a surprise,according to Speed, if any elite cricketer or his management hadthe view that the player would be free of any obligations to theICC tournament sponsors in the Champions Trophy and the World Cupwhen negotiating any personal endorsements.”To my knowledge no player or his manager at any stage sought theview of the ICC as to the restrictions that would be in placebefore they signed these agreements. If a player now finds that,through his own actions, he has put his commercial interestsahead of his ability to play for his country, he needs to decidewhat is more important to him, the money or playing for hiscountry,” he observed in a letter send out the various boardsaround the world.The fact that it could come to a point wherein the player putsmoney ahead of playing for his country shows the serious extentto which the controversy has reached.According to the ICC, under the Participating Nations Agreement(PNA) signed by the affiliated units for the Champions Trophy andthe 2003 World Cup, each Board is committed to sending its bestteam to these events. The ICC expects each Board to meet thesecommitments by securing their players agreement to participate.It must be mentioned here that the negotiation of payments andother terms and conditions for players is the responsibility ofthe individual Boards. The game’s governing body has also advisedplayer representatives that it is not in a position to modify theambush marketing restrictions in these agreements.But the players have taken a diametrical opposite viewpoint asexemplified by the statement of Tim May, the former Test offspinner and chief of the Australian Cricketers’ Association.Terming ICC regulations preventing players from endorsingproducts conflicting with official sponsors as illegal, May saidit would mean a player would have to breach an existing contract.”That’s not only unreasonable, it’s unlawful” he said, mincingno words. According to May, the players want to play in theChampions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka next month, but theyremain very concerned about that one clause. “It isn’t about amoney grab, it’s about a fundamental principle,” May is quoted tohave said.”A player is not being allowed to endorse any product or servicewhere that product or service conflicts with that of an ICC majorsponsor. There are some international cricketers who will beaffected by this. For the Champions Trophy, there’s not oneAustralian player that would have a direct conflict with a majorsponsor,” May said. “However the players have taken thisparticular stance (of not signing the ICC contracts) because,just because they don’t have one now, they may well have one inthe future.”
© CricInfoIndia’s players, in a rare show of unity, have followed thisstand. Star cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly,Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Anil Kumble endorse a widerange of products through newspaper and television advertisingand would stand to lose a huge sum of money if they agree to theICC contract. Players from several other countries have alsorefused to sign the contract.The cricketers are of the view that their case is strengthened bythe fact that they were given the contracts just one month beforethe Champions Trophy tournament and also their contention is thatthere is no precedent for such a one-sided contract in any othersport.David Graveney, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’Association (of England), has admitted that the existingagreement would leave high-profile players in breach of existingcontracts. In a succinct comment, he pointed out that playerscould not be expected to second-guess ICC sponsorship deals inadvance. He is of the view that England players would sign theagreement if ICC relented on a couple of conditions.The conflict of commercial interests, therefore, is very much outin the open and with both sides unrelenting, the deadlock may notbe resolved for some time. Given the paucity of time, it ispossible that only an ad hoc agreement or an unhappy compromisemay be arrived at. The saddest aspect of the controversy is thatthe players, instead of keeping their minds on events on thefield, have been forced to concentrate on monetary matters. Howdeeply all this will affect their performances remain to be seen.