India's cricketers caught in disputes

BY KULDIP Lal

NEW DELHI, Monday (AFP) - India's cricketers began pre-season training under new coach Greg Chappell on Monday despite growing uncertainity over their first two engagements in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

The Indians are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka in late July for a one-day series also featuring the West Indies before joining New Zealand and hosts Zimbabwe for another limited-overs showdown in August-September.

Both events are, however, mired in controversy. A contracts dispute threatens the West Indies' trip to Sri Lanka, while the New Zealand government wants its team to boycott Zimbabwe in protest against the Robert Mugabe regime.

Unless both issues are settled amicably, the Indians may have no one to play against. All eyes are focused on London where the sport's admninistrators have gathered for the annual meetings of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which end Tuesday.

"The chiefs are in England. Hopefully they will solve the problem," an Indian official said on Monday.

The West Indies, who are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka next week for two Test matches preceding the one-dayers, are struggling to assemble a team due to a sponsorship tussle between the players and their cricket board.

Only three of the 13 selected players - Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Powell and rookie wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin - have signed tour contracts with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

With no solution in sight, WICB chief executive Roger Brathwaite warned in a statement that the deadlock could "potentially delay or cancel the tour at a time when all arrangements were already in place".