Forget about All Black Jeff Wilson performing the silver knight role for New Zealand cricket over the next few weeks.

He has a side strain and could be out of cricket for up to a month.

One of the key men in breaking rugby's threatened player drain to the World Rugby Corporation in 1995, Josh Kronfeld was another, Wilson, who has just returned to cricket after retiring from rugby, was seen in some quarters as a prospective saviour for the non-aligned players.

His injury is a blow for Otago which is to play the first game of the State Championship against Central Districts in Wanganui on November 23.

Meanwhile, young Wellington cricketers Ben Jansen, Sam Fairley, Stu Mills and Mark Tulloch have signed with Wellington for the new season. However, all the players have been finding themselves on the end of phone calls from members of the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association - something that has been repeated all around the country.

The most interesting next phase in the controversy will be tomorrow afternoon when Canterbury and Otago name their sides for their pre-season matches to be played next week.

Elsewhere, Wellington's Dominion Post asked in an editorial today, "Just which part of 'no' doesn't Rob Nichol understand?"

Nichol was getting hit all over the park and didn't seem to grasp what an idiot he was making of himself, the Dom-Post said.

"Nichol, who believes that first-class players should be paid much more, is making a fool of himself and his members. Look at captain Stephen Fleming. He might well be a world-class cricket strategist but he is an inconsistent batsman who should have more runs on his CV. Vice-captain Craig McMillan is another so-called young gun who should do more on the field. Both seem likely to be replaced.

"Public opinion is strongly against the Players' Association, senior members of the cricketing fraternity are united in their dismay at its obduracy and employers in particular are amazed at Nichol's gall in expecting NZC to meet union running costs. Perhaps the top players in this country, and their garrulous advocate, are too young to remember how former United States president Ronald Reagan called the bluff of striking air-traffic controllers by sacking the lot and starting afresh."

The Dom-Post also gave Dion Nash a tickle-up for the immaturity he showed when accusing Martin Snedden of trying to make the players "look like greedy, money-grabbing creatures."

"It is not Snedden who has depicted Nash and his avaricious former team-mates in that light; Nichol and his camp followers have done that all by themselves."

The money on offer was good, the Dom-Post said but the players needed to remember they were dealing with a doggedly accurate bowler in Snedden.

"It is past time these young pups grew up," the newspaper said.

Former Otago and New Zealand radio commentator Iain Gallaway has been around cricket circles for longer than most. He's a past president of New Zealand Cricket and a former Otago player.

He told the Otago Daily Times today that he regarded the players' impasse at the moment as "the greatest crisis New Zealand cricket has ever faced."

"I'm shocked and saddened by the criticism that has been directed at chief executives Martin Snedden and Chris Doig and the board," he said.

"They have turned New Zealand cricket around financially and administratively.

"I cannot accept the criticism that has been directed at Martin Snedden. He is a man of great ability and integrity," Gallaway said.

If for no other reason than to remind us of where New Zealand's players actually sit in the international scheme of things, here are the latest PriceWaterhouse rankings.

Tests:

Batsmen - Nathan Astle 23, Mark Richardson 24, Craig McMillan 26, Chris Cairns 37, Stephen Fleming 40, Mathew Sinclair 43, Lou Vincent 63, Scott Styris 65, Matt Horne 75, Chris Harris 79, Matthew Bell 91.

Bowlers - Chris Cairns 11, Shane Bond 16, Daniel Vettori 22, Daryl Tuffey 25, Shayne O'Connor 35, Chris Martin 40, Chris Drum 47, Ian Butler 62, Craig McMillan 63, Nathan Astle 67, Andre Adams 76, Chris Harris 99.

One-Day Internationals:

Batsmen - Craig McMillan 24, Nathan Astle 31, Stephen Fleming 39, Chris Cairns 47, Chris Harris 51, Lou Vincent 58, Scott Styris 73, Chris Nevin 77, Mathew Sinclair 79, Matt Horne 90.

Bowlers - Daniel Vettori 32, Chris Harris 33, Chris Cairns 34, Daryl Tuffey 40, Shane Bond 41, Scott Styris 43, Andre Adams 64, Nathan Astle 69, Kyle Mills 81, James Franklin and Jacob Oram 83 equal, Paul Hitchcock 89.

And former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe called for Fleming to take over the negotiations, along with Cairns, because they were much more in touch with the situation than Rob Nichol and Heath Mills.

"Mills and Nichol have to step aside. They've failed, the don't have the credibility," Crowe said.

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