Lawson hits another speed bump

JERMAINE LAWSON’S star-crossed career has hit another speed bump. The Jamaican fast bowler, who has had his career interrupted by back injuries, a bout with chicken pox and run-ins with the bowling action police, is now sidelined with an ankle injury that required surgery last weekend. According to information reaching CaribbeanCricket.com, Lawson will be out of action for at least three weeks. It is likely he will miss the entire regional one-day tournament that begins in Barbados on October 2. The ankle surgery was performed by chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) medical panel Dr Akshai Mansingh in Jamaica.

In an interview with CaribbeanCricket.com, Dr Man-singh said Lawson has been bothered by foot pain over the years, including a minor heel injury that was treated and managed carefully.  During biomechanical analysis, it was determined that one of Lawson’s leg was longer than the other, a condition that is believed to be the reason for the heel pain. “He came in and complained about the ankle pain and we did an MRI scan and found an impingement of the bone in the back of the right ankle. We decided to act quickly to do a small procedure to relieve the impingement,” Dr Mansingh explained.

It will be at least three weeks before the post-operation tissues are healed sufficently to allow Lawson to bowl, Dr Mansingh added. Mansingh said West Indies head coach Bennett King and Jamaica national coach Robert Haynes were on board with  the decision to pursue the operation, noting that the long-term plan is to have Lawson fit enough for the upcoming tour of Australia. Lawson has been included in a squad of 30 players invited by the WICB to make themselves available for the tour Down Under. He will, however, miss the pre-tour training camp in Barbados, scheduled to start on September 24. Since making his Test debut in the 2002/03 season against Australia, Lawson has played in 12 Tests, picking up 50 wickets at 27.84. He is one of only four West Indians to take a hat-trick in Test cricket.