There's an obvious first step to restore the weakened West Indies to their former Test cricket glory, captain Kraigg Brathwaite says.
Give them more Test matches, particularly in the Caribbean.
Brathwaite will lead a threadbare Windies team against Australia in a two-Test series starting in Adelaide on Wednesday.
A batch of senior players including former skipper Jason Holder and allrounder Kyle Mayers opted out of the Australian tour, choosing instead to play in cashed-up T20 leagues around the world.
Brathwaite doesn't blame them.
"I can't make a decision for the guys, fully understood why they made the decision ... it's solely up to them," he told reporters on Tuesday.
Instead, he blames a lack of Test matches for the West Indies' slide from their halcyon era of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Last year the West Indies played six Test matches, only two at home.
In contrast, Australia played 13 Tests last year - the same amount as the Caribbean conglomeration played in the past two years.
"In the West Indies, we don't get many Test matches," Brathwaite said.
"If we get more ... that would help a lot.
"And obviously incentive for playing Test cricket is always great because you know T20 cricket is out there, T10 cricket is out there, so it will always be tough.
"But I believe the more (Test) cricket we play, the better."
Brathwaite said world cricket authorities should heed the age-old mantra: you can't be what you can't see.
"For aspiring youngsters in the Caribbean if we play Test cricket and we as West Indies do well, they grow up seeing it," he said.
"That will help to inspire to want to play for West Indies.
"But if they don't see it, they will be inspired to play what they see which is T20s and T10s around the world."
