TaylorWEST INDIES fast bowler Jerome Taylor made an impressive return to the game yesterday as he delivered eight overs on the opening day of Jamaica's third and final trial match in preparation for the 2005 Carib Beer Series at Kensington.
Working off a programme set out by West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) coaching manager Darren Holder, Taylor, who was advised to bowl only eight overs per day in spells due to a back injury, did that yesterday, conceding 18 runs while taking the wicket of Donovan Pagon for 93.
Pagon, who hit 17 fours off 147 deliveries in his knock, and Lorenzo Ingram, who will resume today's second day on 92, were both roughed up by the fast bowler in his final spell which was dominated by bouncers on a pitch which appeared to get faster in the final session.
FORCED
Both batsmen were forced to jump around by Taylor. At one stage Ingram, who has so far hit 10 fours off 184 balls, ended up on his backside while Pagon's dismissal was due to a hit he received on the helmet, which forced him to step back on to his stumps.
Taylor, who has played three Test matches for the West Indies, said things went according to plan.
"After the day's play, I warmed down and there was no pain. Everything is all right at the moment," Taylor said.
David Bernard Jr. received the same treatment from Taqylor when he came to the crease and was was lucky to survive the first ball which took the outside edge but just fell short of wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert.
KNOCKS
The knocks by Pagon and Ingram, who put together a 189-run third wicket stand, provided the backbone of the Carlton Baugh XI's innings of 259 for three, against the Tamar Lambert XI. Brenton Parchment, 20, and Gary Graham, 33, were the other batsmen to be dismissed.
Ingram described yesterday's knock as a good one, but said runs were difficult to get in the early stages. "The pitch was a bit slow but what I did was to try and play in the V and eventually the runs came," said Ingram, who scoried his second half-century of the trial series.
Like Ingram, Pagon said he was happy to get among the runs, especially after getting through the early session. He did, however, express disappointment at how he got out.
"I was feeling good out there, after fighting off the early dominance by the bowlers and the pitch was a bit difficult to bat on - I was set on 93 and I just gave away my wicket, I am very, very disappointed."
