Gayle: One-dayer still under threat

The West Indies Players' Association failed to resolve the dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board following two days of talks this week in Bridgetown but the prospect of industrial action by the players was believed to have been averted. But, after hearing conflicting information from the board, West Indies captain Chris Gayle refused to rule out the prospect of a players' strike for the final match on April 3.

Asked whether the game at the Beausejour Stadium was under threat, Gayle replied: "There is a possibility. We need this to be solved before the series is finished so we can forget about all this dispute."

He added: "Players have come to me disappointed that their names are out there in the media. The arrangement was there shouldn't have been any comment regarding the negotiations.

"I was very disappointed to see that we, as players, (are) being tarnished out there. There will definitely be talks (next week).

"We are prepared not to play in St Lucia. There are a lot of issues but at some point we should reach some sort of agreement rather than have you thinking things are going to be okay and then, when things are over, things are not sorted out.

"There should be some sort of guarantee to make sure things are resolved and maybe later on, after the tour, I'm sure we can finish the rest of the dispute."

The dispute revolves around pay and conditions for domestic players in the Caribbean, who had a one-day strike last week to complain about the lack of infrastructure.

West Indies players have shown their solidarity by failing to attend a function hosted by team sponsor Digicel last week and putting tape over their logo on the left arm of their shirts during the second match at the Providence Stadium last Sunday.