New Zealand players yet to sign tournament contracts

No New Zealand players are directly affected by requirements to forgo personal sponsorships before the ICC Champions Trophy but they have not yet signed tournament contracts as a matter of principle.

Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) head, former Australian off-spinner Tim May, is in discussion with the International Cricket Council over the requirements that players sign a contract that denies them their individual sponsorships.

New Zealand Cricket Players' Association executive manager Heath Mills said today said that while his players were not directly affected by the contract quarrel, they were thinking of the implications in the longer term.

"Hopefully they [FICA and the ICC] will be able to find a resolution by Friday," Mills said.

Friday is the extended deadline for the contracts to be signed.

The problem was that in signing a deal for sponsorships until after the 2007 World Cup, the ICC had signed up the commercial rights of players which they didn't have the right to do, Mills said.

"There are longer term implications to this if it is not sorted out. It could have been sorted out earlier if there had been discussions with FICA.

"They need to find some middle ground in order to reach an agreement," he said.

Mills said the New Zealand players had been in good dialogue with New Zealand Cricket over the matter and there were no problems here.

"It is the principle of the thing that we are concerned about," he said.