There are confusing signals from the BCCI and the ICC on what exactly is happening over the contracts row. What is known however is that the Indian players have stood by their decision not to sign the ICC players' contract in its present form.
According to sources, the players voiced their concerns to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Wednesday morning. It is reliably learnt that Dalmiya promised he would communicate their concerns to the ICC and get back to them on Thursday.
A source in the Indian camp said that, as a compromise, the players have asked be allowed to keep their existing commercial contracts and be given safeguards to protect their legal position. In return, they would in future check with the BCCI before signing a contract that could clash with the ICC's contract with sponsors.
Australian and English cricketers have strengthened the Indian players' stand by refusing to sign.
Australian players' representative Tim May also said on Wednesday he was meeting with the Australian board to reach a decision.
Though the players' stand is clear, little else seems to be. A source in the Indian camp said the cricketers have been told they have till Friday to sign. An ICC spokesman said, however, that the deadline expired on Monday and "all teams are now in default".
The spokesman also said the ICC, "at the invitation of the BCCI, would be going to meet the Indian players in Essex on Wednesday evening".
Cricket's leading players may miss the Champions Trophy in September because of a contract wrangle.
Australia's players have refused to sign a sponsorship contract, while India have delayed naming their side because of concerns about the terms of the document.
And South African cricket's managing director Gerald Majola has sided with the players in the dispute.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) wants players to sign a contract preventing them from endorsing products conflicting with official sponsors.
The one-day competition, which features all 10 Test-playing countries plus Kenya and Holland, is being staged in Sri Lanka from 12-30 September.
Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Tim May said: "There's not one Australian player that would have a direct conflict with a major sponsor.
India's tour of England
Tour match, Chelmsford. India 331-6 v Essex
Shiv Sunder Das, the diminutive Indian opener, put himself forward as a candidate for the third Test against India by hammering 165 not out on day one of the tour match at New Writtle Street.
Das's case was further strengthened by the fact that Wasim Jaffer made the lowest score in the Indian top six, as he was dimissed for 19.
Jaffer would be the obvious man to make way for Das at the top of the Indian order if the selectors felt it was time to give Das another go at Test level.
Sourav Ganguly won the toss on a perfect sunny day in East Anglia and elected to bat first.
Das put on 60 with Sanjay Bangar (21) before his partner was bowled by the off-spin of Jamie Middlebrook.
Virender Sehwag then blasted five fours and two sixes in a cameo innings of 37 before he too fell to Middlebrook.
A partnership of 85 followed for the third wicket, VVS Laxman adding 46 of those before Joe Grant grabbed the first of his two wickets.
And with Parthiv Patel hitting 32, another mini-battle was being waged as Ajay Ratra could only manage a single before falling lbw to Mark Ilott.
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly feels the on-field umpires should rely a bit more on their own judgement than referring too often to the man at the television screen.
"The technology is available, and sometimes it can be required, but I think that the on-field umpires are referring too often to the man at the television screen and should rely a bit more on their own judgement," Ganguly wrote in his column in 'The Daily Telegraph' today.
"The catch that Virender Sehwag claimed against Alec Stewart was a pretty clean one to somebody on the ground, looking at it with the naked eye," Ganguly said adding that as long as the rules were the same for both sides, it was OK.
Describing the Trent Bridge Test match which ended in a draw as a "great escape", Ganguly said "It (the draw) was important one because now we go on to Headingly, which has always produced result pitches, and now it is still anyone's series."
The Indian captain was all praise for young Parthiv Patel whose "prospects" look very good.
Morocco cup
Morocco Cup, Tangiers. Pakistan 279-5 beat Sri Lanka 251-8 by 28 runs.
Abdur Razzaq took three wickets to lead Pakistan to a 28-run win over Sri Lanka in the Morocco Cup in Tangiers.
The all-rounder had earlier smashed 29 from just 11 balls as Pakistan's middle order assaulted the Sri Lankan bowlers in the final overs to help them post a competitive score.
After some sluggish scoring from Sri Lanka's top order it was down to Russel Arnold and Chaminda Vaas to get Sri Lanka close.
Arnold finished unbeaten on 37 from 37 balls and Vaas clubbed 31 from just 25 deliveries, but after he fell with six balls left Sri Lanka needed 31 runs to win with three wickets left.
Razzaq, who had earlier removed Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, made no mistake to concede just two runs and remove Pulasthi Gunaratne.
One of the juicy bits of gossip doing the rounds in Tangiers is that Jacques Kallis has shed 7kg in the off season. That would partly explain why he has scored several tries in the touch rugby practices and even took the outside gap with ease once or twice.
Kallis, South Africa's top allrounder and one of the best No 3 batsmen in the world, strenuously denied the claims about his weight.
He did admit working a lot on his bowling technique and action and said he felt stronger at the point of delivery. Towards the end of last season several experts, former South African swing bowler Fanie de Villiers among them, had a lot to say about Kallis' pace. They claimed that the swing bowler lost some pace.
Kallis said that he might simply have been exhausted at the end of last season. "What do you expect after fifteen Tests and 30 one-day games. The difference between the Aussies and us is that they put fresh legs on the field for the one-day games after Tests.
"In South Africa we use the same players for Tests and one-dayers. The fact that I looked so sharp in the touch rugby may have something to do with me being fresh at the beginning of the season."
ICC Champions Trophy
The Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) has appointed Heath Streak as captain for the 2002-03 season.
It is the second stint as skipper for the 28-year old.
Streak will be captain with immediate effect, leading a 14-man squad in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in September.
There is no vice-captain, with the ZCU expressing confidence that "several senior players in the squad" will be able to support Streak to good effect.
Zimbabwe's most recent captain was Stuart Carlisle, though he had replaced the ZCU's last officially-elected captain, Brian Murphy, when Murphy was struck by injury and loss of form.
Squad for the ICC Trophy: Heath Streak (captain), Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, Dion Ebrahim, Andy and Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Douglas Hondo, Stuart Ervine, Douglas Marillier, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Henry Olonga, Tatenda Taibu and Guy Whittall.
Miscellaneous
England all-rounder Paul Collingwood has delayed an operation on his neck.
The Durham one-day specialist has been troubled by a disc bulge at the base of his neck which has caused problems in his left arm.
The injury is now responding to treatment which prompted Collingwood to put on hold surgery scheduled for next week.
He will now be reassessed by a specialist next week.
Collingwood is due to represent England at the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in September after playing in all seven of England's NatWest one-day matches.
Meanwhile, England received some welcome news ahead of the third Test with bowlers Andy Caddick and Alex Tudor turning out for their county sides.
Caddick took his place in Somerset's XI for their match against Hampshire and Tudor was included in Surrey's side to face Leicestershire.
Brian Lara, double world record holder in cricket, said his elbow injury is nearly healed as he prepares for Trinidad and Tobago's Red Stripe Bowl opener on Thursday.
"There are still a couple of shots I cannot play as well as in the past just yet," he said Tuesday. "I still cannot cut and sweep as effectively as I would like, as the fractured elbow still doesn't permit me to do so free of pain. But I expect to regain full fitness later this year, and hopefully I will regain my full form as well."
Lara suffered a stress fracture to his left elbow in an accident while batting in a one-day game against Sri Lanka in Colombo late last year. He said he was about 90 percent in terms of his health, and has just returned from playing the last couple of months in England.
"Since I was in Sri Lanka I was looking ahead to doing well here in the Caribbean against India," he said. "The hunger was always there, and as I work my way back to full fitness I expect to be performing at my peak again soon."
According to sources, the players voiced their concerns to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Wednesday morning. It is reliably learnt that Dalmiya promised he would communicate their concerns to the ICC and get back to them on Thursday.
Shiv Sunder Das, the diminutive Indian opener, put himself forward as a candidate for the third Test against India by hammering 165 not out on day one of the tour match at New Writtle Street.
Abdur Razzaq took three wickets to lead Pakistan to a 28-run win over Sri Lanka in the Morocco Cup in Tangiers.
One of the juicy bits of gossip doing the rounds in Tangiers is that Jacques Kallis has shed 7kg in the off season. That would partly explain why he has scored several tries in the touch rugby practices and even took the outside gap with ease once or twice.
Brian Lara, double world record holder in cricket, said his elbow injury is nearly healed as he prepares for Trinidad and Tobago's Red Stripe Bowl opener on Thursday.