Did Ponting flout ambush clause?
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 i
