The West Indies tour has got off to a disastrous start with captain Chris Gayle flying home to be at his mother's bedside and his batsmen immediately faltering in his absence.
The swashbuckling opener withdrew from the Windies' tour match against Queensland an hour before the toss when news filtered through that his mother was gravely ill and admitted to hospital in Jamaica.
Gayle is now in serious doubt for the opening Test of the summer, starting next Thursday at the Gabba, and possibly for the rest of the series.
The Windies squad remain hopeful Gayle's mother will make a quick recovery and the 30-year-old skipper can make a speedy return for the three-Test series.
Classy batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan said, ''Of course it's disappointing obviously ... but he's got something very important to go home to because his mum is not well but we're hoping he can be back for the first Test match, if not for the second one''.
But the Windies selectors, who would have been disappointed with an under-par first-innings total of 271 at the small Allan Border Field, are already considering who to send over as a replacement player if Gayle can't start in the Gabba Test.
It would be a massive blow to the Windies' optimistic hopes of a series upset as Gayle is their leader, most intimidating batsman and one of just two specialist openers in the squad.
Without him, the Windies fell to 2-10 in the opening half-hour against a third-string Queensland attack after stand-in skipper Denesh Ramdin won the toss and batted in the four-day tour match.
Travis Dowlin, promoted in Gayle's place, lasted just eight balls before shouldering arms to an Alister McDermott inswinger that took out the off stump.
Rising teenager Adrian Barath, picked to open the Test series with Gayle, was unconvincing against the swinging ball and edged behind another debutant, policeman Luke Feldman, to fall for a 20-ball duck.
Conditions were tricky with the new ball hooping around under cloudy skies but they will probably confront the same at the Gabba, and the wicket was hard and true for the batsmen, with Queensland finishing 0-43 at stumps.
''It wasn't the sort of start we wanted to get off to, it was a bit disappointing,'' Sarwan admitted.
Sarwan expertly saw off the new ball in the first hour and looked set for a century before he was unhappy at being given out caught behind off Feldman (2-36).
Shiv Chanderpaul (41) and Dwayne Bravo (49), who blasted six fours and three sixes in 54 balls, both made promising starts but fell to soft dismissals when well set.
While senior men Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Bravo have captained the Windies before, indications are Ramdin will lead the side into the first Test if Gayle fails to return.
But Sarwan said it was crucial they stepped up to help the host of youngsters in the 15-man squad to deal with the huge challenge.
''It's pretty tough, I had my first baptism here in Australia in 2000-01 but I thought that tour made me mentally tough,'' he said.
''I've said to them, especially to young Barath, that you need to remain mentally tough in this part of the world, you guys play pretty hard and it's going to be a pretty hard challenge.'' AAP
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