Christchurch: After India and the West Indies, it is the turn of New Zealand Cricket to deal with players' stand-off over a contract row, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy in October later this year.

NZC wants players to sign in advance participation contracts for ICC-governed events such as the World Cup and the Champions Trophy but the players are unwilling because of their individual image and sponsorship rights, resulting in the delay in inking the new collective contract.

The agreement, which was due to have been signed on June 1, is almost two months overdue, the New Zealand Herald reported on Sunday. A similar case was witnessed in India before the South Africa World Cup in 2003 when the players objected to the contracts over the image clause and a clash with personal endorsements.

Only a last minute truce saw the Indians sign the contracts.

The Indians accepted the contracts conditionally, striking out provisions that said they could not endorse products rivalling ICC's official sponsors.

The ICC initially said no amended forms would be acceptable but made an exception to ensure India participated in the quadrennial showpiece.

World Cup sponsors sought damages and the ICC then withheld India's World Cup payments, valued at more than $13 million.

The relatively small-budget NZC — with a turnover of about $25 million a year compared to Cricket Australia's $120 million — would be unable to sustain a potential loss of this magnitude, the report said. — PTI

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