Gayle considers ringing the changes

The issue of West Indies' poor form in Brisbane has been discussed in many quarters, but never in more forensic detail than in the tourists' change-room immediately after the first Test. The crisis meeting in the bowels of the Gabba stretched well into Saturday night, and included extensive video analysis of their various failings and solemn pledges to never again open themselves to such embarrassment and ridicule.

It is customary after a Test match for the vanquished to slip away early while the victors entrench themselves at the ground into the wee hours recounting their performances. But whereas Australia's players took advantage of the three-day finish to return home for a rare mid-season weekend, West Indies' senior management used the occasion to impress upon their players the gravity of their innings-and-65-run defeat.

Chris Gayle, Joel Garner and David Williams all addressed the squad and discussed, among other topics, the need for each individual to take more responsibility at the crease. It was the collective failure of the senior batsmen in the face of disciplined Australian bowling that contributed most heavily to the lop-sided scorecard and Gayle, one of the main culprits, vowed a better display in Adelaide from Friday.

"We did have a long discussion about what took place in Brisbane," Gayle said. "We've tried to put that behind us. We all know where we went wrong. It wasn't any secret at all to debate. That was the situation, we're looking forward to [Friday] and hopefully we can get away to a better start. We all know where we went wrong with our batting. The display was terrible. A better batting surface here should put us in a good position but we're not going to take anything for granted."

Travis Dowlin, West Indies' sole source of resistance in the first innings at the Gabba, looms as the unlucky omission if, as is expected, Ramnaresh Sarwan recovers from a back injury. Sarwan was ruled out of the first Test after an awkward fall on match eve, but has successfully completed two net sessions in Adelaide and is favoured to resume his place at No. 3.

The tourists are also considering a double-switch in the bowling department. The uncapped Gavin Tonge is rated the front-runner to take the place of Jerome Taylor, who has withdrawn from the tour with a back injury, while Darren Sammy is placing pressure on Ravi Rampaul for the final place in the XI. Sammy's all-round skills are viewed by team management as a potential asset on an Adelaide wicket expected to adhere to its batsman-friendly reputation, although a final decision will be delayed until the morning of the match.

"One will definitely get an opportunity," Gayle said of Tonge and Sammy. "We'll have a selection meeting sometime today. Maybe Gavin Tonge might make his debut and Darren Sammy might fit in as well. We'll have some discussion about it. The last couple of one-dayers [Tonge] played he looked really good. He got the ball to do a bit. He swings the ball a bit, not at great pace, but he hits good areas.

"[Sarwan] said he felt a bit stiff but batting was okay. I'm guessing coming back from the injury automatically these things will happen. Hopefully he'll be fine. With so many Test matches under his belt, having Sarwan around, who has been in good form, will be a big boost for us."

On a personal level, Gayle is confident of improving upon his modest first-Test returns of 31 and 1 against an Australian attack that, for just the second time since 1986-87, will feature a pair of left-arm pacemen. His 11th hour arrival into Brisbane hardly helped his preparation, and with an extra week to shake out the jetlag, Gayle is expecting better things.

"It would have been nice to have Ben [Hilfenhaus] around to even things up a bit more," Gayle said of the injured Australian paceman, who accounted for him in both innings at the Gabba. "He's out and it's tough luck that they have lost their match winner from their last game. Another guy will get his opportunity. The first game was a bit of a rush for me. A lot has been happening. I'm settled down now and acclimatised a bit and I'm back and ready to go again."