MELBOURNE, Aug 13: International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations preventing players from endorsing products conflicting with official sponsors are illegal, Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) head Tim May said Tuesday.

The provisions are designed to prevent marketing conflicts at events such as next month’s Champions Trophy one-day tournament in Sri Lanka.

“That would mean a player would have to breach an existing contract,” May said. “That’s not only unreasonable, it’s unlawful.

“It’s a no-brainer. The players want to play in the tournament, make no mistake about that, but they are very concerned about that one clause.

ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed has said he would not tolerate any infringement of the deal agreed by member countries to thwart rival marketing schemes at their events, including the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.—Reuters