THE WEST Indies suffered a knockout blow heading into the second Test match against England starting on Friday at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.
Already suffering from their embarrassing 10-wicket loss on Sunday, this after they were blown away for 47, CaribbeanCricket.com reported that fast bowler Fidel Edwards has been ruled out of the second Test with a back injury.
The report stated that there are fears in the West Indies camp that he could be out of the team for a much longer period also.
The pacer was forced to leave the field on Saturday's third day after bowling 19.3 overs in England's first innings, complaining of discomfort and stiffness in the lower left back region.
NEEDS FURTHER REST
It was said that a MRI scan on Saturday showed that the 22-year-old fast bowler needs further rest and treatment. The web site also reported that the plan was to compare the new MRI films with a previous scan done during the South Africa tour to figure out the reason for the discomfort.
Edwards, who broke the back of England's top order in the first innings by removing Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan and Mark Butcher on Friday's second day to end with 3-72, could be replaced by either Dwight Washington, Jermaine Lawson, Merv Dillon, or Pedro Collins.
The WICB is expected to issue a statement sometime today to provide more information on Edwards.
- Anthony Foster
