The once mighty West Indies are again in turmoil, this time after coach Phil Simmons, the former hard-hitting allrounder, was suspended over his criticism of the squad picked for the imminent one-day series of Sri Lanka.

Simmons, who helped guide the Caribbean islands to a 1-1 Test series result against England earlier this year, was stood down for declaring he had not been given the "best 50-over ODI squad" and faces a disciplinary hearing.

While the ugly side of Caribbean cricket politics is nothing new, that the West Indies are due to play in three Tests in Australia this summer, including the showcase Tests from Boxing Day in Melbourne and New Year's day in Sydney, makes this latest round of trouble particularly worrying.

There are no concerns at CA that the West Indies could boycott the series, but it must be noted a disgruntled West Indies team did quit a tour of India last year in a row over player contracts, of which the West Indies Cricket Board has yet to resolve a $US42 million compensation claim with its powerful Indian counterpart.

While the Melbourne Test typically attracts a strong attendance on day one, in part because of the tradition of the occasion, with the smaller SCG typically enjoying a strong opening two days, it will be a hard sell promoting the three-Test series, starting in Hobart on December 10.

Even host broadcaster Channel Nine, which typically enjoys a spike in ratings when the locals are winning, could face a tough task to keep viewers interested against what shapes as a second-rate touring side.

Cricket purists will be particularly galled to find that some of the West Indies best players - Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree and Kieron Pollard - will be plying their trade in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, held at the same time as the Test series.

While they were once the darlings of world cricket, and famously were dressed in pink during the second year of World Series cricket, the West Indies have never recovered from losing their unofficial world crown to Australia in 1995.

They have plummeted to new depths after last week failing to qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy tournament, the first time they will miss any of cricket's three big limited-overs events - the 50-overs World Cup, the Champions Trophy and the Twenty20 World Cup. Their spot in the eight-team competition was taken by Bangladesh.

Simmons, who played 26 Tests and 143 one-day internationals, was appointed head coach in March after a successful eight-year tenure with Ireland.

But he has again quickly learnt how the politics of Caribbean cricket can make life a misery even for such greats as Sir Vivian Richards.

The latest selection drama has Simmons, panel chairman Clive Lloyd, and skipper Jason Holder on one side, with fellow selectors Courtney Walsh, Courtney Browne and Eldine Baptiste on the other, the latter winning the battle to have Bravo and Pollard overlooked for the one-day squad.