Jerome Taylor announces retirement from Tests
West Indian fast bowler Jerome Taylor has decided to quit Test cricket according to reports by ESPNCricinfo. Although Taylor did not confirm the decision himself, it was revealed to the media by the West Indies Cricket Board. The 32-year old pacer, however, will continue to play both formats limited-overs cricket for his country, provided he is selected in the team.
The Jamaican did a pretty decent job for West Indies in the longest format and was the spearhead of the pace attack for quite a while. In a career which saw him play 46 Tests, Taylor claimed 130 wickets with 4 five-wicket hauls and best match figures of 9 for 95 against India in 2006.
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Jerome Taylor had been left out of the squad which will play the touring Indians in a 4-match Test series. As per a media release from WICB, the reason behind this was the fact that the fast bowler had notified them about him wanting to quit Test cricket.
The paceman played his last Test in January this year on his team's tour to Australia. Taylor had been struggling for form for quite a while and could manage just 2 wickets in the 3-match series against the Aussies.
Although Taylor kept on taking wickets quite regularly for West Indies, his Test career never hit a much-required purple patch. The speedster was at his best in the year 2006 when he grabbed 28 wickets in 7 Tests at an average of under 30. He also performed decently last year when he took the same number of wickets in 9 matches.
Despite his struggles in recent times, Jerome Taylor was an important part of the West Indian Test team and the selectors now have a difficult task of finding a suitable replacement.