The ICC contracts crisis crept closer to its denouement, with no sign of the Indian players and the BCCI hitting upon a meeting ground. After ICC and the Indian players had hammered out a compromise, the BCCI had rejected that agreement and given the Indian players uptil September 9 to sign the contracts, barring which they would not be selected. The deadline for the players to sign has been set at 2 pm (IST). A meeting of the national selectors is scheduled at 2 pm in Kolkata to announce the final team for the Champions Trophy. The players are unlikely to comply.

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalimya is learnt to have requested Indian captain Sourav Ganguly to allow the junior players of the national team to play in the Champions Trophy in the event of a continued impasse. However, all the members of the team currently touring England and those who have returned to India after the one-day seies have remained united on the issue.

The BCCI, which allowed ICC to directly negotitate with the Indian players, is in a piquant situation following the agreement between ICC and the players, which reduced the 30-day exclusion period to18 but fails to indemify to BCCI from any possible damage claims by agrieved official sponsors.

Following a pointblank refusal by the ICC to provide security against future claims, the BCCI, which is a signatory to the original contract, has reverted to its original compromise fomula to the players – an offer to compensate them for any losses incurred—a proposal that the Indians have asked for in writing, but which they have yet to receive.

With time fast running out, the BCCI seems reconciled to the fact that India may be sending a B team to Colombo. But that might not be the end of the matter. ICC sources told The Hindustan Times that if India sent its B team to Sri Lanka, it would be asked to pay US$ 10 million as compensation to ICC.

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