Lawson Could Miss Sri Lanka ODIs

Mon, May 19, '03

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Monday confirmed pacer Jermaine Lawson will miss the entire ODI series against Australia and possibly the one-dayers against Sri Lanka because of what was diagnosed as "bulging discs in the lower back."

The Jamaican fast bowler, who is scheduled to have his bowling action reviewed by the WICB's Bowling Review Committee (BRC), will rehab in Jamaica for a minimum of two weeks and then leave for Antigua to work with specialist bowling advisor Andy Roberts.

The board said Roberts will conduct the ICC-mandated review sessions instead of Michael Holding, who will be unavailable due to television commentary commitments.

"The WICB will continue to correspond with the ICC during this period and submit their bowling review group report to them at the end of the process," WICB chief executive Roger Brathwaite said.

As previously reported, ICC protocol calls for very specific technological data to be collected during the review process. (Download a PDF copy of the ICC's action review protocol)

The protocols call for the BRC to have Lawson bowl from his normal run-up while two synchronised high-speed cameras operating at a minimum of 200 frames per second (250 maximum) will be recording. The committee is mandated to evaluate Lawson's bowling action and conduct an Anthropometric Assessment of both the bowling & non-bowling arms. The committee will study arm angles before and during delivery.

It is not yet clear if any of this will be done in Antigua under Roberts or whether it will be done at a later stage, when high-tech camera equipment is available to handle the process.

Some sources had expected the data-collection phase of the review to be done in Trinidad & Tobago when the current ODI series shifts there but Lawson's injured back has put a crimp in those plans.

It is possible that phase will now be undertaken when the Sri Lankans arrive in the Caribbean for the Test and ODI series.