Devastated by a player rebellion and humiliated by Bangladesh, the West Indies head to South Africa with their Champions Trophy hopes written off and the sport ravaged by in-fighting. Grouped with world champions Australia, World Twenty20 winners Pakistan and in- form India, the West Indies would struggle even if the likes of captain Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were available. But they, as well as their senior colleagues, are still locked in a bitter dispute over contracts, fees and image rights which has dragged on for months. Typical of the West Indies, the door was being left slightly ajar for the rebels to still be readmitted to the fold even with the tournament less than a week away. At the moment, as was the case for the home Test and ODI defeats to Bangladesh, the West Indies, who won this tournament in 2004, are relying on a second-string of Caribbean journeymen and youngsters. 'I want the people in the Caribbean to know that this is a West Indies team that is dedicated to West Indies cricket. This is not a second-string team. We will do the six million people of the Caribbean proud at the Champions Trophy,' said Floyd Reifer, drafted in as captain in the absence of Gayle. Coach David Williams, who has replaced the sacked John Dyson, insists the squad should not be labelled 'second-string'. 'At the end of the day, whoever goes out there to play is representing the West Indies and is a West Indies team,' Williams told CMC Sport. 'The guys in the team may not be the most experienced but they are willing and have plenty of talent. We intend to work with these players so that they would be competitive in South Africa. 'I don't think that people should write us off. We have a young team and they would be going there to make a name for themselves. 'We have a very good preparation schedule in place with two camps in Barbados and South Africa and once the players get a lot from them, they would be okay for this series. They may even surprise some people and win some big matches.' The squad includes the likes of vice-captain Darren Sammy, Travis Dowlin and Kemar Roach. Other players looking to make their mark include 21-year-old all-rounder Kevin McClean who was a late call-up to replace the injured Daren Powell. The West Indies arrive in South Africa on Monday and play warm-up matches against South Africa (Sept 18) and Sri Lanka (Sept 20). They will play all of their Champions Trophy matches at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. 