Australian players' chief Tim May has called on the International Cricket Council to allow players more leeway over personal sponsorship deals at this autumn's Champions Trophy. It has been feared that some players could boycott the event in Sri Lanka due to their personal endorsements conflicting with the interests of the tournament sponsors.
May, chief executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association and also joint chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, claims the ICC are ignoring the basic legal principle of respecting the players' pre-existing contracts. "Nobody has the right to suppress anyone's rights and obligations. The ICC is putting players with pre-existing contracts in an absolutely impossible situation," said May.
The Australian Cricket Board yesterday stated that they expected all their players to feature in the 12-team competition, although paceman Glenn McGrath made clear his objections to the ICC conditions. "The ICC has sponsors to be looked after, but when they sign away the individual rights of players it has to be looked at," added May.
Filed by James Shortt
