Chicken Pox Strikes Lawson; Best In

West Indies fast bowler Jermaine Lawson has contracted the chicken pox viral infection and was ruled out of the second Test match in Trinidad and Tobago, the WICB announced Tuesday.

Lawson's place in the squad will be taken by Barbadian fast bowler Tino Best. The board also announced that wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs will definitely miss the match and will be replaced in the final eleven by Carlton Baugh Jr.

Lawson is the third member of Jamaica's national side to come down with chicken pox since the Carib Beer Cup competition. Both Ricardo and Darren Powell were stricken with the infection recently.

The viral infection, which is highly contageous, causes a blister-like rash on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes. Chicken pox blisters usually appear first on the trunk and face, then spread to almost everywhere else on the body.

The fact that Lawson was a part of the first Test activities in Guyana has put the entire team at high risk of coming down with chicken pox.

Lawson's ill fortune is great news for Tino Best, the tearaway fast bowler who enjoyed a great season for the champion Barbados team this season. The 22-year-old right hander led all bowlers in the competition with 39 wickets (avg. 18.25), including two five-wicket hauls.

Meanwhile, vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, who missed the first Test because of a fractured finger on his left hand, and compatriot Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored a century in the first Test, but was struck a painful blow on his left knee, have both been passed fit to play.