Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president Reggie Pearman has denied having any knowledge of national team cricketer Delyone Borden's refusal to play in a tour match in Grenada last week.

When again asked yesterday to clarify a matter that could jeopardise the player's chances of being named on the Island's World Cup qualifying squad due to be announced tomorrow, Pearman replied: "I don't know anything about this matter" before abruptly slamming down the phone.

Reliable sources claim the St. David's all-rounder refused to suit up for national team duty because of an ongoing pay dispute which BCB director of cricket development Arnold Manders insisted yesterday had "absolutely nothing" to do with the Board.

Manders has instead pointed the finger at the player's employers for the ongoing row that has put a blemish on Bermuda's successful tour of the Caribbean.

The Department of Works and Engineering worker, who claims he hasn't been paid in several weeks, is among those who signed short-term contracts with the Board who are responsible for compensating national team cricketers for time off from work now being devouted to Bermuda's preparations for next month's World Cup qualifiers in South Africa.

Earlier this year, Borden's St.David's team-mate, Lionel Cann, and the BCB were at odds over a pay dispute.

The senior player was initially dissatisfied with the Board's decision not to fully compensate him for a second job in the construction industry before agreeing to undisclosed terms of his contract.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen what, if any, course of action the Board take towards Borden's protest in Grenada.

But Andre Manders, the Under-19 national coach, said he was hopeful the matter could be resolved and that Borden be included in the World Cup qualifying squad as he was a "valuable asset" as both a bowler and batsman.

A precedent for such actions was clearly established last year when footballer Kris Frick was banned from playing the sport internationally for five years and domestically for two years by Bermuda Football Association (BFA) after refusing to suit up for national team duty.

The defender refused to sit on the bench after being named as a substitute prior to Bermuda's Digicel Cup match against St.Martin and is rumoured to have withdrawn his services from Bermuda's Under-20 national squad after being overlooked for the captaincy.