A showdown is imminent between Cricket Australia and its players over the number of functions to be attended by the cricketers for the game's major sponsors.

The Australian Cricketers' Association has received protests from a lot of players and their managers who claim the players are being pushed too much into doing the sponsors' bit for CA.

The issue will be taken up in July when the players and their employers negotiate the next Memorandum of Understanding which will take effect from 2005.

The matter flared up even before the start of the first Test against India, at Brisbane, when captain Steve Waugh admitted their preparations were hampered because of players' hectic schedule.

Players were asked to spend time bat-signing, playing street-cricket and appearing in shopping malls two days before the Test.

The Australian team is required under the contract to attend about 30 functions a year for state and country. As many as 15 are exclusively reserved for the national side.