This surely will be a tough one for the ICC and its ambush marketing clause in place for the Champions Trophy.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting attended a function organised by ING Vysya Bank here on Tuesday. Ponting, though not presented as the brand ambassador, spoke on a variety of issues related to cricket.
Dressed in a Australian team T-shirt, he spoke in front of a gathering of corporates and media on leadership skills and also on the Champions Trophy.
ING Vysya Bank is a rival of Standard Chartered Bank, a sponsor for the Champions Trophy signed up just recently by ICC. Whether Ponting's act constitutes a violation of the ambush marketing clauses or not will be a matter that ICC will have to decide.
It is likely that Ponting may just be lucky because the interaction may be construed as an event attended in ‘personal time'. But it cannot be ignored that it took place in the middle of a tournament.
Interestingly, the ICC has been very stringent about endorsing rival products when it has come to Indian players in recent times. They have been issued warnings even for minor transigencies.
During the 2004 Champions Trophy, then India captain Sourav Ganguly and all-rounder Irfan Pathan were pulled up for endorsing Tata Indicom, a rival of Hutch, another ICC sponsor.
Even current captain Rahul Dravid is struggling to endorse Bank of Baroda as it is in competition with Standard Chartered. Interestingly Ponting is also scheduled to conduct a cricket coaching clinic for underprivileged children at Parsee Gymkhana on Friday.
This clinic is being organised by ING Vysya Bank. The ambush marketing clause in the Participating Nations Agreement (PNA) prohibits players from promoting products or being associated with any company which is in direct competition with ICC sponsors.
- CHANDRESH NARAYANAN