The ICC contracts imbroglio refuses to go away, with the Sahara group of companies, the official sponsor of the Indian team, withdrawing their sponsorship following a tussle with ICC.

ICC had earlier objected to the Indian players sporting the Sahara logo, as Sahara was in conflict with South African Airlines, ICC's official airline sponsors. They refused to budge despite attempts by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to convince them that the Sahara group of companies encompassed a lot more than just airlines. Sahara eventually agreed to a change in logo, substituting `Subrata', its founder's name, for `Sahara'.

But ICC remained intransigent and rejected the modified logo, thus provoking Sahara into cancelling its US$ 15 million contract with the Indian team.

"Sahara is withdrawing its sponsorship of the Indian team with immediate effect," Sanjay Lal, a spokesman of the company, said. "ICC's handling of the issue is, to say the least, pathetic. It has hurt the national pride of the Sahara group."

India played their Champions Trophy opener against Zimbabwe in Colombo with a logo-free shirts. Sourav Ganguly, India's captain, wore a black armband while batting, supposedly to protest against ICC's refusal to allow the Sahara logo.

Lal said Sahara was unlikely to return as sponsor until "a suitable climate was in place in world cricket which respected sponsors." There was no immediate comment from the BCCI on the row that came days after the Indian team's refusal to sign ICC's original ambush marketing contracts.

The modified logo had been rejected because it shared in common with an earlier logo a graphic of wings painted in the Indian flag's colours. "The wings graphic represents India's national colours," said Lal. "ICC's new objections 24 hours before India's first match were beyond any reasoning or rationale."

Meanwhile, ICC made an attempt to justify its stance by saying that it objected to any elements of the old logo being used in the new one. "What it [the logo] can't use is elements of the Sahara logo," said an ICC statement. "We are simply seeking to ensure that the new brand is actually a new brand and not simply Sahara in a different form".

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