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The game of cricket is full of surprises and, you never know, the West Indies could spring one and defeat Australia in the first Test which opens on Friday at Queen's Park Oval.

Looking at the 15-man squad from which the team will be selected, however, victory for the West Indies would be more than a surprise: it would be more like a miracle.

With four players unavailable, including batsmen Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, fast bowler Franklyn Rose, and right-arm legspinner Dinanath Ramnarine, the selectors, but for the size of the squad, have done a good job and can do nothing more than hope and pray, not only that the likes of Suruj Ragoonath and Dave Joseph, if they are selected to the final XI, rise to the occasion, but also that Brian Lara starts to fire.

As well as they have done, the selectors could be questioned on the inclusion of the 35-year-old Phil Simmons and the absence of a spin bowler.

In the case of Simmons, the selectors may argue that in the absence of Hooper, with James Adams bowling only a few overs in the Busta Cup and with the likelihood of only four bowlers, as usual, being included in the team, they need a batsman who bowls.

Even then, the selection of Simmons is strange. He has not performed beyond the ordinary in the Busta Cup, his Test average, after 26 Test matches spread over 11 years, is 22.26, and he has taken only four wickets at an average of 64.25.

In the case of the absent spin bowler, the selectors may remind that Ramnarine is injured and then explain Rawl Lewis no longer spins the ball, that none of the other leg-spinners are good enough, that against the Aussies the preferred choice would be an offspinner, and that there is none good enough around - no one who flights and the spins the ball enough to worry quality batsmen.

The Windies' problem as they prepare for the first Test is not so much the presence of a batsman who can bowl or that of a spin bowler. The problem is their batting.

While a fit Rose and Ramnarine would have made it stronger, the attack is not seriously affected by their absence - not nearly as seriously as the batting will be in the absence of Hooper and Chanderpaul.

In Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh - if they are fit enough to last, Mervyn Dillon and Reon King, or preferably left-hander Pedro Collins who swings the ball, the West Indies attack is almost as good as it could have been. Without Hooper, despite his inconsistency, and Chanderpaul, however, the batting is weak and could be easy pickings for an Aussie attack spearheaded by fast bowler Glenn McGrath and legspinners Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.

From the list of eight batsmen, the six likely to be in the XI are opening batsmen Sherwin Campbell and Ragoonath, Lara, Roland Holder, Adams and Dave Joseph, and not even the most ardent fan would consider that a strong West Indies line-up. In fact, up to a decade ago, half of them would not even have been considered.

Now more than any other time, the West Indies need Lara at his best. This is a golden opportunity for him to show his mettle - to lead from the front, to do what George Headley used to do years ago when he carried the West Indies on his shoulders and to prove that apart from boasting the world record individual score, he is the best among contemporary batsmen.

If he does not, the Test match, depending on which team bats first and regardless of his ability to motivate the players, could be over in a few days even though Lara and company have the Aussies where they said they wanted them - on West Indian turf.