ECB leg before on flannels deal

England's cricketers were last night caught in the middle of a stand-off between their employees, the England and Wales Cricket Board, and their kit suppliers. The row concerns the players' trousers – not who wears them but who has the right to advertise on them.

In the past it has been the responsibility of Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff to supply the trousers for a Test match, a situation that gave their kit suppliers the chance to place a company logo on each player's left thigh. But four weeks ago the ECB signed a five-year clothing deal with adidas. The ECB's all-inclusive contract, which allows a small adidas logo to be placed on the same spot, was signed without England's players being consulted.

The colour of England's new kit further complicates the issue. Historically, cricket whites have always been off-white – a cream colour – but the clothing Vaughan's side will wear for the first time at Lord's is brilliant white. The trousers have red piping down each leg, too.

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In an attempt to avoid the embarrassment of players wearing trousers that are different in colour to the shirt and sweaters they don, kit manufacturers such as Gray Nichols have sent Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and James Anderson identical whites to those issued by the ECB with their company logo replacing that of adidas. If the kit they are sent does not look right, they may yet wear their official trousers, but with tape covering the sponsor's logo.