Questions Swirl as Back Injury KOs Taylor

Teenage West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor has been knocked out of the first Test match against Zimbabwe in Harare by an ominous lower back injury, prompting questions about the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) injury management and prevention systems.

Just days after bowling 35 overs and taking 10 wickets in the opening tour match against Zimbabwe 'A', Taylor was forced was forced to leave the field after bowling only 9.4 overs in the Test and team manager Ricky Skerritt said the injury has been diagnosed as a lower back sprain.

"He first felt stiffness at the start of his second spell and immediately came off for treatment. When he tried to bowl again some time later it became clear that he could not continue. He will be kept quiet for 48 hours with ongoing treatment and then will be further evaluated when the inflammation is at a minimum," Skerritt told CaribbeanCricket.com.

"This means no more bowling in this inning and certainly not before Friday (4th) morning, if we are lucky," Skerritt added. With Zimbabwe declaring at 507 for nine in their first innings, it's hardly likely Taylor will be asked to bowl again.

The sudden injury to the 19-year-old is a devastating blow to the touring team and immediately raised questions about validity of the team's injury management and prevention mechanisms.

According to WICB chief cricket development officer, Dr Michael Seepersaud, biomechanical analysis of Taylor's delivery detected a 'mixed' action and some lateral flexion. "He bends to the left when delivering the ball and the combination of a 'mixed' action and lateral flexion will lead to lower back problems. We are aware of this with Jerome," Seepersaud said in an interview with CaribbeanCricket.com.

Seepersaud said Taylor's delivery stride closely resembled that of former pacer Ian Bishop, who had a superb career interrupted by a debilitating back injury. "We have seen side-by-side video clips of Taylor and Bishop and the similarities are striking. And that was just before Bishop's injury," Seepersaud explained.

South African biomechanics expert Dr Richard Stretch, during a recent stint in Jamaica, reviewed Taylor's action and prepared a report recommending minor tweaks to the delivery stride to avoid strain on his lower back.

"The head coach is aware of our concerns with Taylor. We did the video analysis and submitted a complete diagnosis to the senior team coach and to the territorial board (Jamaica)," Seepersaud said. "They are all aware that Taylor and Ravi Rampaul have slight problems with their bowling technique," he added.

"The reports and warnings are there and all the relevant parties are familiar with the diagnosis," Seepersaud explained, nothing that similar diagnoses have been submitted for Rampaul and slinging right-armer Fidel Edwards.

Skerritt confirmed that two brief biomechanical reports on Taylor and Edwards have been passed on to the coaching staff but he said it was an exaggeration to say the injury to Taylor was expected. "Nothing in Jerome's report or elsewhere could have caused it to be expected so quickly. Fast bowling is a very unnatural biomechanical undertaking," Skerritt explained.

The West Indies team manager, himself a victim of a health scare on the tour, said every fast bowler on the tour is "at risk of injury" as his use increases over time.

"We have to do a more urgent and comprehensive job of evaluating the level of risk for each bowler and communicating it to the selectors, the bowlers themselves, their fitness trainers, physiotherapists, coaches and captains. We have barely touched the surface of this process and Dr Seepersaud should be commended for starting us out on this path," Skerritt argued.

He said the recent appointment of a WICB medical panel was "another step in the right direction" but lamented it as a "major challenge" to bring the right people and relevant information together at the right time.

Skerritt's statement seemed to hint at a communication gap among the region's decision makers.

Taylor's injury is also a major knock on the relevance of the Shell Academy in Grenada. Taylor was at the Academy before being called up to make his debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year and Seepersaud said he was yet to see a report from Academy Director Dr Rudi Webster that discusses Taylor's bowling action.

"It's difficult for me to determine if the Academy found anything that's of use to us. Two months after the Academy was completed, the development committee has not seen a report," Seepersaud added.

Seepersaud said counter-rotation problems were detected in Rampaul's action but noted that the threat of serious injury was negated by the fact that the Trinidadian fast bowler runs right through his delivery instead of having a high bound. "But, as he plays more and there is stress of the back, we could see some problems down the road with Ravi," he warned.

As the news of Taylor's injury sinks in, many are also questioning the wisdom of having the teenager bowl 35 overs in the tour match that preceded the first Test. Against Zimbabwe 'A', Taylor bowled 17 overs in the first innings and 18 in the second, picking up ten wickets in the match.

Asked directly if Taylor was over-bowled in the warm up game, Skerritt declined comment. "I cannot comment on Jerome's pre-injury use by a captain out on the field of play. It is not an area where I have any authority whatsoever," he explained.

Still, it is a question that head coach Gus Logie, assistant coach Kenny Benjamin, captain Brian Lara and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan must face. Sarwan was stand-in captain for that tour match in which no other pacer bowled as many overs as Taylor.