Australia’s talented opener Chris Rogers has been formally ruled out of the Sabina Park test set to start on Thursday. He has been facing what is now a more stubborn case of a concussion.
He was the central figure at Australia’s training session on Tuesday but team doctor Peter Brukner said Rogers was yet to return to complete match fitness following a blow to the helmet from Dominican net bowler Anderson Burton leading to the first test.
“Chris has improved but he is still not 100 percent so we are restricting his training. Therefore he is unavailable for selection for the second Test,” Brukner said.
“While most concussions resolve within a week there is a significant number who remain symptomatic and require a longer period of recovery. Unfortunately, Chris is in this category. We will continue to monitor his progress and hopefully it will not be too long before he is back to full training.”
Brukner’s statement keeps Australia in a fix to pick someone else so as to balance the side, as they would also be considering future prospects for the upcoming Ashes series.
The Sabina Park wicket has grass covering and the chances of a twin spin combo in the form of Nathan Lyon and Fawad Ahmed appear slim. The practice pitches offered pace which would have excited the talented Australian pace battery as they were able to hurry up several of their batting counterparts. It would be interesting to know how it all pans out on the all important match day.
