IT’S that time again when logic would suggest that we brace for another onslaught against the touring West Indies, starting in about a fortnight — this time against the high-flying Sri Lankans.

Well, in case one has just returned from Mars, for well over a decade, the top six teams in world cricket have enjoyed themselves immensely against the regional side, with many chalking up record performances against the whipping boys of international cricket.

Indeed, any series against the Windies these days could be greeted with Red Indian-like whooping because of the opportunity provided to bolster one’s career average in all facets of the game against a seventh-ranked team taking forever to regain its feet and that lofty status which seems eons away.

The composition of the newest Windies outfit suggests that that trend will continue.

Undeniably, among the modern-day gladiators who, with good reasons, likely lick their chops at any prospect of taking on the Caribbean boys are South African batsman Jacques Kallis, Sri Lankan spinner Muralitharan and Pakistani batsman Mohammed Yousuf.

This sustained hammering, which would have been vicariously enjoyed by the Test-playing nations, is understandable since for decades they would have suffered untold embarrassment against the former world champions. To many, it’s obviously payback time.

However, as we await the start of the three-Test series on the sub-continent with a measure of apprehension, the matter of acclimatisation — or the lack thereof — takes centre stage. For, a disturbing recent trend is that the Windies are not spending sufficient time in respective host countries and are playing too few warm-up matches before plunging headlong into the start of either Test or ODI series.

This, no doubt, accounts for some of the poor results we’ve suffered in recent years. In other words, how can a team land in alien territory — with a suspect aggregation at that — and expect to perform at its optimum without giving itself the chance of familiarity with the intricacies of the weather conditions, pitches and even idiosyncracies of that culture?

In this particular case, the Darren Sammy-led squad is being given just one tour match ahead of the opening Test match against the Sri Lankans who, as fate would have it, will be appearing on the back of an impressive One-Day International series win against the Aussies in the latter’s backyard.

Talk about having the cards stacked against you even before a ball is bowled!

As if this were not enough, one notes that the team would have arrived in that country a mere nine days before taking the field in the first Test, with just a couple of days in-between the respective Tests, thus emphasising the frenetic and thoughtless schedule that seems predestined to work against the tourists.

But why is the situation like this? I’m sure that the itinerary could not have been confirmed without the approval of both cricket boards. And so, is it that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) sees nothing wrong with the short preparation time before tackling one of the most competitive units in world cricket at the moment?

Further, does this suggest that the WICB are poor planners and decisionmakers resigned to their impending fate, or is it a case where results really don’t matter?

If, on the other hand, the regional authorities are as judicious as they are expected to be, then what’s the rationale behind these schedules, especially when perused within the context of the team’s dismal performances, where its winning record on tour can be accounted for on a single hand these days?

But then again, maybe things have got so bad for the Windies in the competitive realm that they are just happy to be in the mix of international cricket.

In all seriousness, however, I’m inclined to think the Sri Lankan itinerary was not at all influenced by the ICC’s Futures Tour Programme which is more interested in setting a timetable for the mandatory meeting of teams, rather than the details of warm-up matches and touring itineraries.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but as I see it, for a team to be competitive on tour, getting used to the conditions — especially if the environment is dissimilar to that of your native country and your squad comprises a number of newcomers to those climes — is absolutely essential.

Common sense would thus dictate that, as obtains among the top teams in the global game, ample preparation time cannot be over-emphasised in any series. For instance, the English team has been in Australia for the past two weeks and will be there for approximately a month before the start of the first Ashes Test.

In-between, Andrew Strauss’ men will play at least three practice matches in the vein of acclimatisation, thus positioning themselves to do well against their combative rivals.

But then, maybe doing well is not the focus of the West Indies team at this point in time.