It’s touch and go for Collymore

BRIDGETOWN: Experienced West Indies fast bowler Corey Collymore is likely to miss the VB triangular limited overs series in Australia starting next month because of a left side strain, which he sustained six weeks ago. That is the opinion of new West Indies team physiotherapist Stephen Partridge, who told CMC Sports yesterday that Collymore was not expected to do any serious bowling again before the next fortnight. Australian Partridge made his assessment on the fifth day of a three-week camp for 25 players at the 3Ws Oval, Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.

“Corey probably won’t bowl again before two weeks from now. He needs to start building his technique up again,” Partridge said.  Barbadian Collymore, who celebrates his 27th birthday on December 21, has been hit by injuries, mainly to his back as long as eight years ago. A veteran of 56 One-Day Internationals and 14 Tests, he has been receiving treatment from Barbados team physiotherapist Jacqui King-Mowatt in recent weeks before he was further analysed by Partridge. Partridge conceded it was a touch-and-go situation for Collymore to be ready for the VB Series, which runs from January 14 to February 8.  “I need to speak with the coach (Bennett King) but my impression is that he is probably not going to have enough bowling.

Around the time the VB series in Australia starts, I expect Corey to be pretty much close to full steam,” said Partridge, who has just started a three-year contract with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). ‘“The problem he’ll have is that he would have had very little competitive bowling before that. He will be building his bowling up through the latter half of December and the first week of January when he will be pretty much close to full throttle but the question then would be that he would not have had match-type conditions. That may prove a barrier for him for the Australia tour.

‘“I expect him to be hitting the straps around that first week of January. We will already be in Australia by January 2 so it may be that he will miss that series. It would be a case of a further assessment around Christmas but it will be very close. He will be there or thereabouts,” Partridge asserted. Collymore suffered a left groin strain on October 22 during the preliminaries of the regional President’s Trophy limited overs championship in Guyana. 

Six days later when Barbados lost to Trinidad and Tobago in the first semi-final in Barbados at the Windward Club ground, Lucas Street, he was diagnosed as having a left oblique abdominal muscle strain after bowling his full allotment of ten overs. It was then recommended by King-Mowatt that he resume physical training on November 15 and “should be fit to join the West Indies camp on November 29.” Partridge, a graduate of the University of Queensland with a masters degree in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and an accredited Sports Physiotherapist, gave a further assessment of Collymore yesterday. (CMC)