Like the true diplomat, Ricky Ponting has shown high regard for host team the West Indies in the lead up to the first Test of the three match series that starts in Jamaica next Thursday.

Unless the discussion surrounds the basketball teams playing in the Western Conference of the NBA, there is hardly any expectation of an intriguing contest between a side rated number one and an opponent with a ranking of number eight, particularly one that has not won a home series in more than three years.

What is even more worrying is the preparation of the West Indies team on the eve of the series. It is difficult to imagine how meaningful the camp currently being held can be with three key players absent. All three, Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have been West Indies captains at one stage or the other and in the case of Mr Sarwan and Mr Bravo could possibly be again.

All three of them are still involved with the IPL T20 in India. It’s not the ideal preparation for a Test series (assuming they will be taking part) against the best cricket team in the world especially since their IPL players have already joined their colleagues in training for the first Test.

To further complicate matters captain Chris Gayle has not recovered from the groin injury he sustained against Sri Lanka. The injury jinx that has haunted West Indies captains over the past year is uncanny. It started with Sarwan shortly after he was appointed to replace Brian Lara following the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Darren Ganga took over from Mr Sarwan during the Test series in England before Mr Gayle was asked to lead the side in the one-dayers. With Mr Sarwan not fully recovered in time for the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa Gayle was again given the captaincy but it was Mr Bravo who led for most of the one day matches against Zimbabwe after Mr Gayle was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Mr Gayle made a return for the Test series against South Africa but his hamstring did not stand up to the test. In addition he broke his thumb facing Andre Nel so it was over to Mr Bravo once again for the final Test and the ODIs. The pattern was maintained with Mr Gayle’s return for the home series against Sri Lanka only for him to fall victim to a groin injury in the closing stages of the tour.

If Mr Gayle is unable to lead the team in the first Test it means that the likely captain, if chosen from the players now in India, would have missed the entire training camp. It is difficult to imagine a replacement for Mr Gayle other than one of the three players now competing in the IPL.

The continued presence of Mr Sarwan, Mr Bravo and Mr Chanderpaul in India is as much an indication of the financial impact of such a tournament as to the commitment of our cricketers of this era. It is a point and a concern expressed by some observers during the several standoffs with the WICB management. I have always been among those reluctant to criticise the players during those days but they are currently providing very little evidence in their own defence.

The two-year ban facing Marlon Samuels following the guilty verdict for violating the ICC Code of Conduct 4 ix, which involves receiving money, benefit or other reward, which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute, is also another distressing issue for the West Indies. It could not have come at a worse time for Mr Samuels. The stylish right-hander who has performed below potential for much of his career had an excellent series against South Africa.

While he struggled and scored just 29 runs in four innings against Sri Lanka in the Tests he scored a crucial unbeaten 54 off 49 balls to help win the second match of the ODI series. It was hoped that with his bowling no longer a factor because of the ban handed out as a result of his illegal action, Mr Samuels would have been able to concentrate fully on his batting and fulfill the potential that has been obvious from his days at the junior level.

Given the performances in various forms of regional cricket including the recent WIPA T20 there seems not to be too many alternative-batting options in the region and if the ban on Mr Samuels is upheld he will be badly missed.

The immediate problem though will be the selection of a competitive team to take on the Aussies amidst an environment that can hardly be the healthiest for the home team. Following the encouraging performance against Sri Lanka we could easily be facing a situation of taking one step forward and two or more backward.