Cricket West Indies (CWI) have hit back at reports of a rift within the team, labelling it a "malicious attack" on the credibility of captain Kieron Pollard.
In a statement, CWI make reference to "voice notes" which "circulated on social media" and the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reports that the voice notes in question claim the West Indies Player Association is "very upset" about the treatment of all-rounder Odean Smith.
Smith featured in first two T20Is against England but, after bowling just one over and facing three balls across the two games, he was dropped for the third T20I in favour of Rovman Powell, who went on to score a match-winning hundred.
The voice note is said to have claimed Pollard's relationship with Smith is "not the best", but CWI president Ricky Skerrit and head coach Phil Simmons have rubbished these suggestions.
CWI have insisted that there is "no discord between the Team Captain and any member of the West Indies team" and labelled the claims "unfounded and mischievous".
CWI president Ricky Skerritt added: "I view this as a malicious attack on the credibility of the West Indies Captain, designed to sow division within our team that has just recorded three very impressive T20I performances against very strong opponents, including two outstanding wins and one heroic comeback to get within one run of victory.
"This clear attempt by well-known mischief makers to discredit the Captain and to derail the Team’s momentum in the ongoing Betway T20I Series should not be tolerated or encouraged."
Simmons, meanwhile, said there had been no "victimisation" of Smith or any other player and that he was dropped purely for tactical reasons.
"That can't happen when I'm here," Simmons said. "You don't victimise anyone. You don't try to pull down anyone. You try to make players a better person first of all, and a better cricketer afterwards.
"We need to stop this foolishness that we're going on with. We sit down and we look at the best team for the day. And if Odean wasn't in the best team for the day, it is because we thought that Rovman was better suited for yesterday.
"All those who want to sit out there and preach about victimisation, I think they need to look within themselves.
"There's no victimisation in selection in West Indies cricket, and there's no victimisation in this team in playing anyone."
Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo also hit out at claims, tweeting : "After enjoying a beautiful hundred , a West Indies win series lead at present I woke up to see the same individuals who don’t care about the cricket trying to push a victimization narrative … hopeless unhappy ppl…I guess some ppl will never change!"
