All the drums that were drowning out any other noise in New Zealand cricket circles yesterday appear to have been correct - Stephen Fleming and Chris Cairns are apparently talking with New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden.

The Sunday Star-Times reported today that Fleming was set to have the players return to action in time to be ready for the onset of the first-class season and the upcoming tour by India.

No-one is commenting at the moment, which is perfectly understandable if negotiations are, in fact, underway.

But the news that earlier advocate Rob Nichol is out of the frame is hardly surprising either.

Being Sunday, there are plenty of opinions in print on the issue.

Under a heading "Posturing alley cats need to start talking to each other" in the same newspaper, Chris Laidlaw described the whole issue as "low level farce."

Being more in touch with rugby matters than cricket, Laidlaw did provide one opinion probably felt by many looking at the issue from outside.

"The most distinctive feature of the players' association position is that it doesn't seem to have one," he said.

Applying an over-used rugby analogy he said the players' position didn't appear to have a consistent bottom line, as articulated by Nichol.

"The goalposts are, it seems, in constant motion and New Zealand Cricket isn't quite sure what to aim at," he said.

Mind you, Laidlaw didn't spare New Zealand Cricket either.

He said: "And it's time for New Zealand Cricket to become a little less pious in its blanket refusal to deal with the strikers."

Former New Zealand captain Ken Rutherford, who writes a column in the same newspaper said: "I'm picking a consensus will be reached, with our leading players saying enough is enough - let's get back to work. And that agreement will be achieved in the next couple of days."

Rutherford was critical of the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association approach.

"The players' association has communicated little more than the need for more money; other concerns are mentioned but we are waiting for elaboration."

And he concluded by saying: "It has been outplayed in the media stakes by NZC and has consistently failed to provide fair and reasonable evidence to back up its argument."

All of which is a long way removed from the editorial stance taken by the New Zealand Herald yesterday.

The Herald suggested the Indian tour should be called off.

It felt nothing would be achieved by a third-string side playing the might of India.

"At the moment, there seems only one avenue of escape from that prospect. The striking players appear resolute. Perhaps only the passage of time, and absence from the game they purport to love, will shift their resolve. If there is no change, it would be best to cancel the Indian tour. That would create time for new talent to be cultivated - or for the present crop of top players to come to their senses," the Herald said.

All of which forgets the obligation New Zealand Cricket has to international commitments already made.

The lesson that it takes a major calamity, such as that the New Zealand players were exposed to in Karachi earlier this year, for a tour to be abandoned without economic consequence, appears to have been forgotten.

Quite literally, NZC can't afford to call off the tour as the result of agreements already signed and revenue-providing television rights having been sold.

Hopefully, more will be revealed in the next few days to cover all concerns.

© CricInfo