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The unveiling of the West Indies cricket squad to tour Australia this summer has only deepened concerns that the international cricket season could turn out to be a major flop.
The West Indies named a 15-man squad for its three-Test tour on Wednesday that was missing most of its best players; it has since been described variously as substandard and uninspiring.
Former Australian Test captain Allan Border labelled the team an absolute "rabble" and tipped that the series would be all "one- way traffic."
That news came after Australia's hopelessly one-sided win over New Zealand -- the first of their summer opponents -- in the opening Test match in Brisbane last week, a contest marked by poor crowds and general lack of interest.
The Kiwis will be out to swiftly atone for their embarrassing start to the series at the Second Test in Perth which began on Friday.
Many of the West Indies' high-profile stars were not available for selection in the squad, having decided to abandon the national team in favor of scoring a lucrative contract in Australia's Twenty20 (T20) competition, the Big Bash League (BBL), which is the shorter form of the game played over 20 overs.
The absence of headliners like the big-hitting Chris Gayle, all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy and limited-overs specialists Kieron Pollard and Samuel Badree could have a dramatic effect on attendances, and TV ratings, for the marquee Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney.
In total, only four of the 15 players West Indian players selected have previously toured Australia -- one of the toughest places to tour in the cricketing world -- as part of the Caribbean collective. The West Indies squad is drawn from islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
Aside from the lone selection of young finger spinner Jomel Worrican, the West Indies' squad is exactly the same as the one which was beaten comprehensively by Australia, 2-0, in the Caribbean earlier this year in the lead-up to the Ashes.
Cricket Australia (CA) -- the sport's governing body in Australia -- is fresh off one of the most profitable periods in the group's history, hosting India for a four-Test tour, co-hosting the World Cup with New Zealand and returning to England for another Ashes campaign over the past 12 months.
But following the lop-sided contest against New Zealand at the Gabba last week, CA is facing the prospect of scheduling two uncompetitive whitewashes in a row.
Possibly compounding the issue is CA's decision to stage the game's first day-night Test match, a concept that will make its Australian debut at the Adelaide Oval on Nov. 27.
The day-night format's "pink ball" -- which allows batsman to see the ball in both day and night light settings -- has polarized the players, with the specialized ball shown to deteriorate at a rapid pace, compared to the traditional red-colored ball, in recent domestic trials.
Australia, as the No. 3-ranked team in Test cricket, were already favored to comfortably beat the No. 8-ranked West Indians, even with all their stars available.
But now, propped up by a large portion of relative newcomers, the touring side faces an even steeper uphill battle to cope with Australia's renowned bouncy pitches and hostile fast bowling.
Australia has a reputation for chewing up and spitting out touring sides, only losing a home Test series twice since 1992/93 -- which was the last occasion the West Indies got the better of Australia on their own soil.
CA authorities will be hoping the visitors - once known in these parts as the Calypso Kings - can rediscover some of their former on-field magic, or a long, hot, tedious summer awaits.
