Cricket-West Indies rally round Lawson before second test

ByABC News
October 27, 2014, 2:17 PM

— -- KANDY, Sri Lanka, July 21 - West Indies players have thrown their support behind troubled fast bowler Jermaine Lawson before the second test against Sri Lanka. The 23-year-old Jamaican took eight wickets in the opening test on his return after a back injury but was afterwards reported for a suspect bowling action for the second time in his career. Lawson's action will be reviewed by biomechanical experts appointed by the International Cricket Council but he is allowed to continue playing and West Indies are expected to name him in their team for the second and final test which starts on Friday. "All the boys have been giving him their support and sticking right behind him," captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul told reporters after the West Indies' final training session before the match at the Asgiriya International Stadium. "We have to support the decision taken by the ICC, but hopefully Jermaine will get over it and be free again to stop worrying about it and keep on playing." When asked about Lawson's state of mind after the official report which is a serious threat to his international career, Chanderpaul said: "He is okay at the moment and has been working really hard in the nets. "He is available for selection and the important thing is that he just focuses now on this game." West Indies need Lawson -- who bowled with pace, bounce and hostility in Colombo -- to be firing on all cylinders in the second test after losing the opening game by six wickets. The team are extremely inexperienced after a sponsorship dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) led to 10 leading players refusing to sign tour contracts. The tour came close to cancellation but the WICB eventually persuaded several A team players, against advice of their own Players' Association, to join the tour. Chanderpaul, although frustrated by his team's poor preparation for the test due to unsettled weather, is sure his young team can level the series. "We have to come back well in this test and go out there to play some tough cricket to win this one. "During the first test we had an opportunity to bowl them out for under 200 but we let them off the hook. This time we have to stick to our plans."