New Zealand players unaffected by contract demands

New Zealand's players at the ICC Champions Trophy next month are not affected by the contracts issue which has resulted in an impassed between the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) and the International Cricket Council.

New Zealand Cricket's chief executive Martin Snedden said today that he had worked through the issue with the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association (NZCPA).

"We have agreed that the ICC sponsorship provisions for the ICC Champions Trophy are covered by New Zealand Cricket's existing player contracts," he said.

As a result, Snedden did not think that any New Zealand players will be detrimentally affected by signing the ICC contract before next month's event.

However, Snedden said he was sympathetic the views of members of the TelstraClear Black Caps and would continue to work through the issue with the Players' Association as part of their ongoing contract negotiations.

"The issue is an important one for international cricket and I hope all parties will be able to work towards a solution which allows the ICC to meet its contractual obligations," he said.

This position was supported by the NZCPA spokesman, Heath Mills.

"The Players' Association focus is to ensure the players are looked after and I feel we have worked well with New Zealand Cricket to achieve this.

"This issue is going to need to be addressed internationally so that it does not affect future events," Mills said.