Cricket: England upset by contract dispute

ALEC STEWART yesterday hinted at the England squad's resentment at the distraction caused by their World Cup pay dispute with the England and Wales Cricket Board. However, the England captain, the unofficial shop steward for the players in the negotiations, reinforced their intention to sign their revised World Cup contracts.

"We were never not going to sign the contract," Stewart said yesterday. "As I've said before, the same 15 players that were in Sharjah were always going to be in the World Cup. There were certain things which needed sorting out, not just financial matters but things like tickets and things like that, but we will be accepting the terms.

"The players should not be negotiating with the Board about contracts. We aren't businessmen or trained negotiators, we are professional cricketers and perhaps someone else should have handled that side of things."

Stewart was speaking at the launch of his book Alec Stewart - A Captain's Diary in London yesterday.