COLOMBO, June 28: The Sri Lankan cricket board has expressed concerns over the prospect of an under-strength West Indies squad being sent to tour the island next month because of an ongoing player contract dispute.

Due to start on July 13, the series has been thrown into doubt as negotiations between the West Indies cricket board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association to recruit first-choice squad members have stalled.

Only three players in the original 13-man squad selected for the tour — Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Powell and uncapped wicket-keeper Dinesh Ramdin — have signed team contracts.

“We would obviously be very disappointed if the West Indies were unable to send a full-strength side,” Sri Lanka cricket board member Adel Hassim commented.

“The likes of Brian Lara and the other West Indies players are a huge attraction amongst the cricket-loving public in Sri Lanka and we all want to see the full team here,” he added.

Sri Lanka’s cricket board has thus far stopped short of issuing the WICB an ultimatum to confirm their ability to tour although they will meet later this week to discuss the issue.

“We are watching the situation very closely and the interim committee will discuss the issue at its meeting later this week, but we hope that an amicable solution is reached,” he added.—Reuters