http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040123/cleisure/cleisure4.html

published: Friday | January 23, 2004

By Kevin O'Brien Chang, Contributor

NO SPORT matters more to a people than cricket does to West Indians. It is to us not so much a game as part of our heritage. But these are painful days for the faithful. So far have the once mighty Windies fallen that Brian Lara is seeing our latest innings defeats as positives because, "At least we are fighting hard and reaching the final day now."

But hope springs eternal among true believers, who say, "Our batting is good and when the young fast bowlers develop nobody can beat us." My heart agrees, but worries about the recent spate of injuries.

Years of constant humiliation have generated a desperate search among fans and the authorities for 'instant saviours'. And the inadequacy of so many mature players has created a vacuum at the top which is sucking into Test cricket youngsters who 10 years ago would be dubbed 'promising but needs time to mature'. We do have an exceptional crop of young players. But by asking too much too soon we might be endangering their futures.

Our bones only stop growing at 21. So it may not be co-incidence that of the four players who re-turned home in-jured from South Africa, three ­ Jerome Taylor (18y 363d), Marlon Samuels (19y 345d) and Omari Banks (20y 288d) ­ played Tests before this age. As did the also injured Jermaine Lawson (20y 277d).

Before 1990 only five outstanding West Indians made their Test debut while under 21: Gary Sobers, Jeff Stollmeyer, Alf Valentine, George Headley and Malcolm Marshall. Sobers - a once in a lifetime wonder anyway ­ played 19 Tests before turning 22, Stollmeyer 3, Valentine 10, Headley 9, and Marshall 3. These Tests also had rest days.

NO REST DAY

In the no rest day, limited overs era four players with over 15 Tests so far debuted before 21. Shiv Chanderpaul played 11 Tests and 30 one-dayers before turning 22, Ramnarash Sarwan 22 Tests and 13 one-dayers, Marlon Samuels, 15 Tests and 40 one-dayers, and Chris Gayle 11 Tests and 34 one-dayers.

Is Chanderpaul's fragility related to his heavy early schedule? Do Samuel's chronic knee woes have a similar root cause? Hopefully Gayle's recent injury problems are only temporary. But Sarwan's ­ knock wood ­ relative durability may be the exception which proves the rule that overtaxing immature bodies has deleterious long-term effects.

Now the only outstanding modern fast bowlers who officially Test-debuted before 21 were Marshall, Waqar Younis, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Kapil Dev. But sub-continent players have notoriously unreliable birth papers, and Waqar, Imran, Wasim and Dev were very likely a couple years older than their recorded age. So it's probably safe to say that no top pacer ever played in Tests before reaching 20 and very few before 21.

Yet Jerome Taylor made his test debut at 18. In the light of history you have to wonder if his still developing bones should be subjected to the sustained all out effort international cricket requires. I'm no expert, but turfites know that over-racing can ruin young horses, and 2-year olds do not run in the Derby.

At any rate the West Indies Cricket Board should be keeping the closest possible watch on the physical and mental development of the world's most promising teenage pacer, especially after his tour-ending injury. Is he, for instance, on a well planned dietary and exercise regime? Is he getting psychological counselling about how to deal with his abrupt transition from a schoolboy into an international sportsman? And since he had to leave school early to play for the West Indies, are the authorities making arrangements for him to complete his interrupted exams? There is life after cricket.

CRICKET NATION

Now Jerome Taylor, Jermaine Lawson, Ravi Rampaul, Fidel Edwards, and Tino Best may be the most promising set of under-23 fast bowlers any cricket nation has ever had at one time. They all have the potential to bowl accurately at 90 miles an hour when mature, so the West Indies may in a few years have an attack to rival the famed four-prong of yore. But there's many a slip twixt cup and lip, and young fast bowlers are a delicate breed who require careful handling. We need only remember Ian Bishop's sadly curtailed career.

I recently saw a 1998 Cricinfo article entitled 'Fast bowlers need protecting':

"The problem of back injuries suffered by fast bowlers may never be solved unless players are protected when young, says Australian legend Dennis Lillee. [Lillee incidentally helps run the MRF Pace Foundation in India.] He said young pace bowlers should never be extended.

'They shouldn't be over-loaded in the nets or in games. They should have a fair stint of bowling but no more than 45 minutes- One of the first things to remember in caring for young fast bowlers' backs is that every back is different. We are advancing in our treatment of injuries but there are a number of different theories. What is important is finding someone who knows what they are doing- You have to look at their action, assess whether it is a bad action and look at the chance of work overload. If you are going to correct a bad action you have to have someone who knows what they are talking about.'

Lillee is more conscious than most of the pitfalls of fast bowling, for he was almost forced out of the game with back problems when only 23. But painful rehabilitation work allowed him to recover and become Australia's leading wicket taker."

The West Indies Cricket Board should hire someone like Lillee as an injury prevention consultant for our young pacers.