Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are the leading names to have been omitted from next month's Champions Trophy in Colombo, after the Indian cricket board failed to resolve the ongoing sponsorship row with the ICC. The BCCI refused to bow to player power, and their 25-man list of probables for the tournament includes none of the cricketers currently preparing for the third Test against England. The board has, however, decided to allow more time to those players to make up their minds.

"If any player agrees to sign the ICC contract, we'll act accordingly," said Niranjan Shah, the board secretary. "The selection committee will then meet again to pick the squad."

Jagmohan Dalmiya, who had stepped in to defuse the row, said there was no deadline for the contract to be signed, which states that players cannot have endorsement deals that conflict with the official ICC sponsors. Tendulkar and Ganguly, who have some of the most prominent deals in the Indian team, have been particularly hesitant. Tendulkar, who renewed a five-year contract with WorldTel last year worth approximately 20 million dollars, currently endorses Adidas, Visa, Pepsi, Fiat and a number of Indian brands.

"The offer is still open," said Dalmiya. "We're in touch with senior players Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble in England to resolve this issue. But no time-frame has been set for signing the contract."

Ravi Shastri, acting on behalf of the Indian team, said that it was up to the ICC to negotiate an amicable solution to the crisis: "All the 18 players of the team [in England] are united on this issue and none of them is going to relent. If the ICC is ready to move back, we're ready for a dialogue."

Dalmiya, however, refused to recognise Shastri as the players' spokesman, saying his role had not been approved by the board. Dalmiya had earlier asked the players to sign a one-month contract covering the Champions Trophy alone, a compromise that would have ensured that future tournaments could be renegotiated, including the 2003 World Cup.

Speaking from Mumbai, Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC, said he was still hopeful India would send its original squad to Sri Lanka. Speed, who is on a short visit to India to speak to the sponsors of the tournament, said he hoped the Indian players would retract from their "stubborn stand".

"Yes, I did speak with Dalmiya regarding the players' decision," said Speed. "I will be talking to him today as well. There will be definitely further discussion regarding this issue."

Nasser Hussain, speaking ahead of the third Test at Headingley, backed the Indian team in their stance: "We are showing solidarity with some very fine cricketers around the world who are having problems at the moment," he said. "It is very easy just to think of yourself and say 'I'm all right, Jack' and just sign your contracts.

"If there are fellow cricketers out there struggling with signing contracts - especially pretty good players - we must not just think of ourselves at the present but of other people and of England cricketers of the future.

"We are the shop floor of international cricket, and those rights must be looked after at all times."

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