Barbados, July 17 - The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has come down hard on rebel players by suspending their retainership contracts and asked them to reply within ten days why they breached the board's code of conduct by boycotting the first Test against Bangladesh.

The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) was also quick to react Thursday and said that the players could not breach contractual obligations because they had not entered into an agreement with the WICB.

Thirteen leading West Indies players, including captain Chris Gayle, have gone on strike and boycotted the first Test against Bangladesh over pending contract issues. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) struggled to get a second string side that lost the match.

In its first official communication to the players during the impasse, WICB wrote to all the rebel players Thursday that they have breached the contract by missing the Test and skipping the ticket launch of the 2010 World Twenty20.

WICB's move to seek explanation from the players comes after WIPA demanded an apology from the board for mismanagement in its affairs.

The board said that the players violated Rule 6 of the WICB Code of Conduct, which states: 'Players and team officials must not at any time engage in behaviour unbecoming that could bring the game of cricket into disrepute or be harmful to the interests of cricket'.