Steve Smith has failed to train for the second day in a row, the latest reminder of a dearth of experience in Australia's current ODI squad.
Smith tweaked his quad during a knock of 74 against West Indies last Tuesday (AEST) but continued to bat then fielded during the hosts' successful run-chase in St Kitts.
The skipper, usually first into the nets and last to leave, was a fidgety onlooker for the majority of the squad's first two sessions in Barbados.
Smith was restricted to hitting catches and giving throwdowns.
The 27-year-old and team management are both confident he will bat in the nets on Sunday (AEST) then face South Africa the following day.
"I know it's all precautionary and he'll be ready to go for Sunday's clash. I'm sure he's raring to go and hit a few balls," Mitchell Starc said at Kensington Oval.
Former captain George Bailey is likely to lead the team if Smith suffers a fresh setback, with vice-captain David Warner out of action because of a broken finger.
Warner will consult a specialist upon his return to Sydney but Cricket Australia expect the opener won't have to undergo surgery.
Even if the leaders' woes are taken out of the equation, the ongoing tri-series has laid bare the full impact of a series of high-profile retirements over the past year.
Australia's XI in the 2015 World Cup final featured 1027 games worth of experience, headlined by Michael Clarke's 245 ODI caps.
Australia played with a total of just 413 ODIs of experience in their recent loss to West Indies, with Smith, Bailey and Matthew Wade making up half that number.
Josh Hazlewood, who has played 21 ODIs and is 25 years old, has been pitched into a leadership role this month.
"There's a little bit of extra responsibility. You go through the names that are missing from that World Cup team, there's some massive experience there," Hazlewood said.
"We've got a good group of young guys now and if we keep the core group together hopefully we can get close to the team we had 6-12 months ago."
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