West Indies and Australia face off in Dominica on Wednesday with the build-up dominated by the contrasting absences of star batsmen from either team.
Chris Rogers will miss the start of his final Australian winter of Test cricket after displaying symptoms of concussion following a blow in the nets - "a really smart decision", according to captain Michael Clarke.
Rogers may grudgingly accept the wisdom of that - but Shivnarine Chanderpaul was less inclined to go quietly after being dropped to almost certainly signal the end of his West Indies career.
If that is the case, he will depart after making 11,867 runs at 51.37 in 154 Tests - just 45 runs behind Brian Lara's West Indies record tally of 11,912.
That includes an average of over 80 in home Tests against Australia, and he lobbied coach Phil Simmons for one final chance after Simmons offered him the option to retire before he was dropped.
The Kaieteur News published an exchange between the pair on messaging service WhatsApp in which Chanderpaul made himself available for selection and expressed the opinion that he was being "pushed into retirement".
"It may also be an occasion for the WICB to recognise me for my long and dedicated service," the 40-year-old left-hander wrote. "It would be a good send-off after dedicating 21 years of my life to WI cricket."
In the course of Simmons' replies, the former Ireland chief wrote: "I understand how you feel but it is in the hands of the selectors not yourself to decide on a squad for the series.
"I am not pushing you into retirement I am, as previously said, trying to dignify the situation because Chanderpaul retiring would be more dignified than Chanderpaul being left out by the selectors."
Chanderpaul emphatically concluded the exchange: "I AM NOT RETIRING. Thanks."
Lara himself suggested Chanderpaul deserved the chance to exit the international stage "in his own way" and went as far as to label his treatment "despicable".
Paceman Jason Holder admitted on ESPNCricinfo: "The exclusion of Shiv has caused a lot of talk.
"That's beyond me at this present time, my focus right now is on cricket."
Simmons, too, was focused on the series, which follows a drawn three-match tussle with England.
"We played well in the three Test matches," he said. "We need to improve because it's Australia - no disrespect to England - and we're trying to do that as much as possible."
As far as Rogers' condition is concerned, attitudes have shifted noticeably since the tragic death of former Australia opener Phillip Hughes last year - Rogers noting earlier this year that until then "mortality hadn't really been an issue in the game".
Australia team doctor Peter Brukner described it as "a black-and-white rule now" that players suffering concussion do not play.
That stance was supported by Clarke, who told Cricket Australia's official website: "There's been a lot spoken about with concussion and as hard as it is on Chris, I think credit needs to go to Peter Brukner.
"He's an expert in this field and he believes Chris has those symptoms and it wouldn't be smart for him to take the field.
"I always want to win, I always love seeing Australian cricket have success. Chris is exactly like me. He wants to play, as I want him to play.
"But at the end of the day I'd rather see the health and safety of the individual come first and foremost, and in this case that's exactly what we're doing and I think it's a really smart decision."
Shaun Marsh will open in Rogers' place, with Steve Smith batting at number three and, depending on the balance of the side, a likely debut for either batsman Adam Voges, 35, or spinner Fawad Ahmed, 33.
Unheralded pair Shane Dowrich and Rajindra Chandreka will battle for a Windies debut in Chanderpaul's stead.
The Frank Worrell Trophy will be on the line in the series, with the hosts looking to end a sequence which has seen them not win a series against Australia since 1992 nor a single Test against them since May 2003.
Source: PA
