The West Indies have been shaky cricket adversaries for Australia but menacing when it comes to internal politics.
The tourists were rolled in their opening tour match, hammered in the first test and look to be heading in the same direction in the second test at the MCG--not the performanceswhich are likely to provoke positive comments for their faltering efforts.
However the West Indies management has a different view and has rounded on the sole media man from the Caribbean, Fazeer Mohammed, who has been sending critical opinions about the tourists to the audience back home.
Mohammed queried the team's preparation and asked why their approach to training and practice for the Boxing Day test was so low-key and casual compared to the Australians. When news of that criticism bounced back to the W Indies camp, some of them took exception.
Coach Phil Simmons apparently decided to ban Mohammed from interviewing any players for the rest of the tour and a West Indies official conveyed that message to Mohammed as he was broadcasting with his ABC colleagues before the start of play.
Observers pointed out the absurdity of the situation as Simmons was suspended by his board in September for questioning why some of the players were picked for the one-day series in Sri Lanka before the trip to Australia.
Team manager and soon to be ICC referee Richie Richardson defended his players' approach to their work.
He felt it was no different from the attitude of the stars of the 80's and 90's whose efforts were not criticised because they were winning.
"When we were doing well we used to be pretty cool, pretty laid back, pretty lackadaisical," Richardson told the ABC.
"People saw it as being cool. Now with the same approach, attitude, (people say) they're not interested and stuff like, so we have to be very, very careful, we have to be cognisant of that as well."
