Indian paper says cash "rash" a blight on sport

MUMBAI (Reuters) - An obsession with money is spreading like a "dangerous rash" across the world of cricket and threatens the spirit of sport, India's leading newspaper said on Wednesday.

The Times of India bemoaned the Indian cricket board's backing of Cricket Australia in their demand for payment from media organisations for the right to distribute photographs from their events.

Global news agencies Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse look set to extend their boycott of Australian cricket into this week's second test against Sri Lanka after attempts to broker a deal over media coverage stalled.

"A dangerous rash is spreading in the world of cricket," the influential broadsheet wrote in a bottom spread article headlined "Paying to cover news is not cricket" on their main sports page on Wednesday, referring to Cricket Australia's demand.

"Money-minded cricket administrators are putting a price on everything, including pictures of cricket matches, thereby threatening to take fun out of sports."

The Indian board on Monday said it backed Cricket Australia in the dispute and could adopt the same stance for future domestic test series.

"What's more alarming is that this move (by CA) has given ideas to the BCCI (Indian board) too," the paper said.

"If agencies succumb and start paying money to cricket boards, they in turn will ask more for the pictures. Look at it any way, there will be fewer pictures from the matches for the game's innumerable fans."

The paper said the trend could change sports coverage.