BRISBANE, Australia (CMC) — Jerome Taylor is returning home early from West Indies’ tour

of Australia.

Team manager Joel Garner confirmed in a news release that the 25-year-old fast bowler has been ruled out of the remainder of the trip by the sore left hip and stiff back that restricted him to nine overs during the opening Test against Australia at the Gabba, although he batted in

both innings.

Taylor picked up the injuries on the opening day of the Test which West Indies lost by an innings and 65 runs to trail 0-1 in the three-Test series.

He is scheduled to leave Brisbane today for his home in Jamaica, where he will continue his rehabilitation.

Tour management have been consulting with the regional selection panel and officials of the West Indies Cricket Board to discuss the possibility of “reinforcement”, and have not yet identified a replacement for Taylor.

This development follows a team training session for yesterday, when officials conducted a full assessment on Taylor’s fitness.

The fast bowler’s fitness was in doubt from the start of the tour, after he missed the visitors’ opening match against the Queensland Bulls.

His departure is a major blow to the West Indies attack, hamstrung — almost literally — from the beginning, when they did not choose key fast bowler Fidel Edwards.

He was nursing a knee injury sustained during

the Champions League Twenty20 in India, where he represented Indian Premier League side, the Deccan Chargers.

As a result, Edwards also incurred the wrath of the West Indies Cricket Board for failing to follow a rehabilitation programme for a back injury he sustained in England

earlier this year. He subsequently lost his lucrative central contract.

There was some heartening news on the injury front for the visitors with batting star Ramnaresh Sarwan likely to be fit for the second Test at Adelaide, starting on Friday (7:30 pm on Thursday, East Caribbean Time).

Garner disclosed that Sarwan has been responding well to treatment for the back injury he sustained on the eve of the first Test.

The injury sidelined Sarwan at the Gabba, and compatriot Travis Dowlin took his place.

Dowlin distinguished himself with the top score of 62 in the first innings, and scored just four in the second innings, when West Indies meekly folded for 187.