Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies captain, has distanced himself from rumours linking him to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Sarwan told The Nation that he knew "nothing of the tournament" and had not been contacted by the organisers of the Twenty20 event to be played next month. He said he was not aware if any teammates were contacted. Other players also stayed clear of the matter.

Last week reports suggested that as many as five members of the current Windies team were linked to the event and that they would be paid between US$350,000 and US$500,000 to participate.

"I'm not one of them. I don't know who they are and I don't know if they are any players at all, but I'm definitely not one of them," Sarwan said on Monday as the West Indies side prepared to set out for South Africa. "I have not been contacted by the ICL.

"I have not thought about it at all. I have been concentrating on West Indies cricket and trying to get back on course. I have not put any thought into anything else."