gayleKINGSTON - The crisis in West Indies cricket deepened with the board saying that the second-string side currently playing in the Test series against Bangladesh would be considered for selection for September’s Champions Trophy.

“This ensures that there will always be a solid pool of approximately 29 contracted players from which to draw for the board’s future tour commitments,” West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said in a statement.

The WICB also said that it would begin interviewing prospective captains.

The board hastily pulled together a second-string team that included nine uncapped cricketers for the first home Test series against Bangladesh following a boycott by its top players because of a long-pending contractual row with the WICB.

WICB said it was “committed” to the players who made themselves available for selection for the Bangladesh series.

Former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams, secretary of the West Indies Cricket Players’ Association (WIPA), said they are monitoring the situation.

“The players are fed up with things going nowhere. They are prepared to sit out and see what happens,” Adams was quoted as saying in Cricinfo.

Meanwhile, WICB president Julian Hunte has vowed to resolve the problem.

“This is damaging to West Indies cricket and these problems before tours and during tours must be eliminated,” he said.

Talks have failed between the board and WIPA, which refused to give in to WICB’s demands to end the strike before discussions.

“Before a series starts, there will be a flurry of activity, and then they (WIPA) will want to meet to negotiate,” Hunte said.

“We are going to put a stop to this. This is damaging to West Indies cricket and these problems before tours and during tours must be eliminated,” he said.