Ganga, Dillon back for Lankans

BRIDGETOWN: Teenage fast bowler Jerome Taylor was named yesterday to the West Indies’ 14-member squad for the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka, starting in St Lucia on Friday.

Taylor, a slim Jamaica who turns 19 on Sunday, would be the tenth teenager to play Test cricket for the West Indies if chosen in the final 11. He would be the youngest since 18-year-old batsman Alfie Roberts against New Zealand in Auckland in 1956.  He made his First-Class debut for Jamaica in the domestic Carib Beer Series regional tournament in February and quickly made his mark with innings figures of eight for 59 against Trinidad and Tobago in his third match.  Achieving good control from a relaxed action and generating pace consistently clocked in the high 80 miles (129 kilometres) an hour range, he took 21 wickets at an average of 20.14 in the Carib Series. He bowled impressively in his first international appearance in the West Indies’ victory in the third one-day match against Sri Lanka in St Vincent on Wednesday. He is one of four fast bowlers chosen, along with Merv Dillon, Vasbert Drakes and Corey Collymore.

Final composition of the bowling attack would depend on the condition of the pitch, but Taylor is expected to start. It is the 25-year-old Collymore’s first call-up to the Test squad since his solitary match against Australia in 1999. He has had 42 One-Day Internationals in the interim. Taylor and Collymore are the only two among the 14 who did not play in any of the four Tests in the preceding series against Australia. The Beausejours Stadium, just outside Rodney Bay in northern St Lucia, is staging its first Test. It opened last year with two One-Day Internationals against New Zealand and becomes the eighth Test venue in the West Indies. The others are Kensington Oval in Barbados, Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, Bourda in Guyana, Sabina Park in Jamaica, the Recreation Ground in Antigua, Arnos Vale in St Vincent and the  Queen’s Park Stadium in Grenada. The Sri Lankans, who won the one-day series 2-1, play two Tests against the West Indies. The second is at Sabina Park June 27 to July 1.

The West Indies squad: Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain), Omari Banks, Carlton Baugh, Corey Collymore, Merv Dillon, Vasbert Drakes, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, 
Wavell Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith and Jerome Taylor. (AP)