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Chris Gayle missed the two series against Bangladesh www.itssportsmania.tk ITS ALL ABOUT SPORTS

A settlement has been reached in the bitter dispute between West Indies' leading players and their board.

The West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association had been at loggerheads over players' contracts, payments and image rights.

The row led to senior players going on strike, with a weakened team losing Test and one-day series to Bangladesh.

But a joint statement said: "All outstanding matters in dispute between the two bodies have been settled."

The long-running conflict escalated in July when the selected squad for the two-Test series with Bangladesh boycotted it in protest.

Although the senior players, including Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Chris Gayle, made themselves available for the subsequent one-day series while the WIPA entered talks, they were not selected.

A makeshift West Indies team, having lost the Test and the one-day international series to Bangladesh, was then sent to the Champions Trophy in South Africa, losing their three games in the group stage.

In their joint statement, the two sides said: "Both parties are pleased that the agreement reached creates an environment to engage in building a genuine partnership that can ensure the long term development and progress of West Indies cricket."

Although the two bodies said that issues relating to the one-day series with India earlier this year would still be referred to arbitration, they intend to begin talks on a long-term deal to cover future tours.

West Indies begin a tour of Australia next month and play the first Test in Brisbane on 26 November.