Chicken pox rules out Lawson

Jamaican pacer Jermaine Lawson and Antiguan wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs will both miss the second Cable and Wireless cricket Test between the West Indies and Australia starting at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, on Saturday.

Lawson is out after contracting chicken pox, while Jacobs has not recovered from the tear of his hamstring he suffered in the First Test in Guyana which the regional cricketers lost by nine wickets in Guyana on Sunday. Lawson left for his homeland yesterday after arriving earlier with the West Indies team from Guyana. Jacobs will stay in Trinidad until Saturday to undergo rehabilitative work with Dr Terry Ali. Barbadian Tino Best, considered to be the fastest bowler in the region, was named by the West Indies Cricket Board yesterday as the replacement for Lawson. Team manager Ricky Skerrit added that Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have both been passed fit to play this wekend.

The West Indies team is scheduled to have a practice session the Queen’s Park Oval this morning at 9.30 am. Anguillan off-spinner Oamari Banks and Sarwan, the vice-captain,were added to the 13 who were selected for the First Test. Sarwan has recovered from his finger injury and will be take his place in the team for the second Test. Yesterday the Australians also arrived in Trinidad at 9.10 am and skipper Steve Waugh said he is confident that his team can defeat the West Indies again and prevent the hosts from making a comeback as they did in 1999 to draw the series 2-2. “We are confident of doing well and getting a win in the Second Test. The last time we played here we whipped the West Indies by 353 runs and that makes this ground special,” Waugh said.

The West Indies under Brian Lara were routed for 51, their lowest Test score on that occasion. Concerning the composition of the team for the match Waugh said: “It is hard to say, we will have a look at the wicket and then make the selections. As it looks we have a winning unit and it is going to be difficult to take it apart. “Some of the batters didn’t get among the runs as they would have liked but it’s only one Test and you really can’t make changes based on that. However having said that all the players on the squad are eligible for selection and come match time, we are going to put a winning team in the line-up,” the most capped Test player said. The Australians are also expected to have a net session at the Oval today from 3 pm.