Fidel’s cry

by PAUL MAYERSWEST INDIES fast bowler Fidel Edwards  is frustrated by the slow pace of his rehabilitation from a back injury.The Barbadian is at present recovering from spinal surgery which was performed in Jamaica in January to remove a herniated disc.Edwards had a second scan two weeks  ago and disclosed that he has been working hard with the physiotherapist.“The second scan on my back showed up pretty okay. The doctor told me it’s coming pretty good, but for me it’s kind of slow,” he said.“I started running again three weeks ago, started with three laps and have increased  it to five, but there is still some pain there. “The doctors says it will be a while before  the pain goes away seeing that the nerve  is damaged a bit,” Edwards said.Edwards, who made his debut against  Sri Lanka in 2003 says he’s looking at either September or October to start bowling again,  but is still in the dark as to when he will  be back playing competitive cricket.The problem which the 28-year-old revealed was plaguing him since 2004, flared up during the World Twenty20 Championships in England, in June last year. It forced him  to withdraw from the starting 11 on the morning of the match against England and to also miss the tour of Australia.He was criticised by West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire and his one-year contract with the board withheld for abandoning his remedial programme to play in the Indian Premier League  for Deccan Chargers.     Commenting on the just concluded World Twenty20 Championships, Edwards told WEEKEND SPORTS he watched just  one game at Kensington Oval which  was West Indies against Sri Lanka and described his experience as difficult.“It’s the second World Cup in the Caribbean that I missed out on. The first was probably  due to the selectors saying that I wasn’t up  to scratch, in terms of bowling form, the second is through injury but watching it has been pretty difficult for me,” he said.  He described the West Indies performance  as moderate.