The West Indies may have to do without their most experienced bowler Fidel Edwards for the decisive third and final Digicel Cricket Test against Australia starting in Dominica on Monday.
Captain Darren Sammy revealed that Edwards had complained of back soreness during the latter stages of the drawn second Test in Trinidad and Tobago and should he be ruled out, it would pave the way for Ravi Rampaul to get his first Test of the series.
The Windies are 1-0 down after losing the first Test at Kensington Oval.
Rampaul, who has recovered from dengue fever and a shoulder problem, has been with the team for both Tests in Barbados and Trinidad but appeared to have added a few extra pounds.
“So far we have been using the same combination and it has worked for us. Fidel has a slight pain in his back so we’ll monitor that. If not, then Ravi comes in and I know Ravi will do the job for us,” Sammy said prior to the team’s arrival in Dominica yesterday.
“To have a guy like Ravi Rampaul, who took so many wickets for last year on the bench, shows we have depth. Kemar [Roach] has been very good against the Australians and Fidel has been bowling well, without any luck, and I know Ravi is eager for his opportunity,” he added.
Meanwhile, Roach, who took 15 wickets in the two Tests against the Aussies, said it felt great to move 16 places up the Reliance ICC Test Bowlers’ Rankings to No.18 position.
“I will try to get even more wickets and take even more steps forward. It is very crucial for us as players and as a team to keep striving for better,” Roach said.
“I didn’t have a great time of it in 2011 but I went back and worked hard and I am seeing the results this year.”
Left-handed batsman Darren Bravo, who has finally broken into the Top 20 among Test batsmen for the first time in his career at 19th position, said it was a good feeling.
“I had a smile when I heard that I moved up the rankings. I have been close to the Top 20 for a little while, so now that I have broken through, I will look to keep working my way up the ladder,” he said.
“I am still relatively new to Test cricket and I’m still learning the game . . . with a few innings left in this series I will be looking for a big score for the team,” he added.
However, Sammy indicated that leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who was replaced by off-spinner Shane Shillingford for the Queen’s Park Oval Test, is still part of the team’s long-term plans even though he wasn’t selected for the Dominica Test.
“We just had a team talk and what I said to Bishoo was, ‘[You’ve] been a warrior to us, especially last year, but sometimes you lose form’. I told him I know deep down he will come back stronger because that’s the sort of player he is.” (EZS)
