After flexing its muscles over the players' contracts, the Cricket Board today
made a tame climb down and said the Bangladesh-bound team members can sign
the contract even after returning from the tour if they were not happy with some
of the clauses. 
"I don't have a feed back yet from the players. I am going to Kolkata
on Sunday and will talk to the players and hear their concerns if there are
any," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said today.
Shah also felt that if the players have some reservations then
it would not be possible for them to sign the contracts before they leave for
Dhaka.
"They can sign the contracts after returning from the
tour of Bangladesh (May 7-29)," he said.
Shah had said from London, a couple of days ago, while
returning after witnessing the World Cup final in the West Indies
that the players will have to sign the contracts before departing for Bangladesh
on Monday.
As per the clauses of the contracts, the players will get only Rs five lakh
as flat retainer fees irrrespective of their seniority, a far cry from the Rs
20-50 lakh they were earning till September, 2006.
They are also entitled to a bonus for victories in matches and series separately
but obviously the players are totally unhappy over these figures.
The board official's posture today was indicative of a clear
climb down from the tough stand adopted earlier by the board at the review meeting
held here to discuss the team's debacle in the World Cup last month.
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