Selectors double down on injured Taylor
Published:Sunday | February 5, 2023 | 12:45 AMOrane Buchanan - Staff Reporter
WEST INDIES women’s selectors are doubling down on their choice to have the injured Stafanie Taylor as part of the West Indies Women’s T20 World Cup team set to bow into action in another week.
Despite being injured since October 2022, lead selector of the team Ann Browne-John believes that the former captain will be ready ahead of the tournament.
“We are aware that Stafanie has been out injured for quite some time, since October, but she has been progressing and we have been working with her back-to-play routine. She’s almost there. We are now awaiting the final assessment from the medical team to give her clearance, but we are all positive,” said Browne-John.
Taylor, who has now slipped to 12th in the ICC’s all-rounder ranking, has played 111 T20 Internationals for the West Indies, scoring 3,121 runs, inclusive of 21 half-centuries at an average of 35.87, and played an integral role in the 2016 World T20 title-winning team. At that tournament, Taylor was voted player of the tournament.
According to Courtney Walsh, head coach of the team, despite Taylor’s injury woes, she’s upbeat about the tournament.
“She’s upbeat and everything is coming together at the right time. If we can get her fit along with the injuries that we have, it will help the morale and we will have our strongest team to select from at the start of the World Cup, which is what we are hoping for,” he said.
When quizzed about the possibility of ending up with a squad short of numbers because of the injury, Walsh clarified the position on Taylor, saying there was enough time.
ENOUGH TIME
“In terms of fitness, her fitness might not be peak, but the only thing she is short of right now is cricketing skills. So, once she gets cleared for the skills part of it, then it shouldn’t be half-fit but fit. I think we still have enough time, once we can get her in the nets. But she has been putting in the work behind the scenes,” Walsh added.
According to Ann Browne-John, her team has also considered the issue of re-injury if Taylor is brought back too soon.
“We take injuries very seriously and ensure that, once we put a player on the field, they are fit enough to play. We don’t put any player in any situation where they can re-injure themselves,” she said.