Courtney Walsh is surprised.

And the results of a television poll in Trinidad last night favoured the West Indies Cricket Board's (WIBC) decision to withdraw captain Brian Lara and Carl Hooper from the forthcoming tour of South Africa.

Those were just a few of the reactions to the WICB's decision against the two players who had ignored team management's decision not to return to London after participating in the Wills Cup which ended in Bangladesh Sunday.

In a random poll on the government-owned Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) moments after the decisions were announced by WICB president Pat Rousseau, 55 per cent of those interviewed supported the ruling to strip Lara and Hooper of their titles and rule them out of the series.

A poll on another Trinidadian station, TV 6, showed more support for the players, while the Guardian newspaper is urging Caribbean governments to intervene in the matter.

Holder, who along with David Holford, represented the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) at an emergency meeting at the Rex Halcyon Hotel here yesterday, said the players were united in their position.

``They have expressed a position of solidarity. We are looking at what options are open to us,'' he said on his return to Barbados last night.

``The players have the interest of West Indies cricket at heart and have always been and will remain committed to West Indies cricket.''

Courtney Walsh, who along with Curtly Ambrose and Jimmy Adams were fined 10 per cent of their tour fees for also remaining in London, was hopeful that everything could be resolved.

``I am surprised to hear some of the things that have happened. At this point in time I have been advised to say nothing,'' WIPA president Walsh said from London.

``We have to come together, discuss and decide what we think is best for us players and the association.

``We regard the WIPA as a body that is looking after us and we have got to discuss how best to deal with the issues at hand.''