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Edwards Praises Collymore For Sound Advice Going Into 2nd
Digicel Test
Date Posted: April 03, 2008.
Fidel Edwards
traps Michael Vandort shortly after lunch - Brooks
La Touche Photography
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO – Fast bowler Fidel
Edwards who picked up the first three Sri Lankan wickets on
a severely rain affected first day of the Second Digicel
Test said that he must give credit to Corey Collymore, the
West Indies seam bowler who is not currently in the squad.
"I got a bit more focused, Corey has been telling me that I
need to be a bit more patient on this (Queen's Park Oval)
wicket and let the ball do the talking," Edwards told
journalists after the end of the day's play when Sri Lanka
finished on 217 for 5 after recovering from 117 for 5.
Edwards picked up the first three wickets to fall and then
fellow fast bowler Jerome Taylor grabbed two more to put the
visitors in trouble but a sixth wicket stand of 100 between
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chamara Silva brought Sri Lanka
back into the game on a day when 43.3 overs were lost due to
rain interruptions.
Dilshan is not out on 57 while Silva, who replaced injured
wicketkeeper Prasana Jayawardene, is not out on 37.
Edwards, the right arm slinging fast bowler debuted in 2003
against Sri Lanka at Sabina Park after being picked from
obscurity by then West Indies captain Brian Lara. He gained
international attention for his unorthodox delivery action
and a five wicket haul on debut but has had an indifferent
time in Test cricket due to injuries and inconsistency. He
said that being out of the West Indies team gave him time to
reflect on advice from Collymore who played 30 Test matches
and bagged 93 wickets and who is the highest rated West
Indian bowler, sitting just outside the top ten of the ICC
rankings at number 11.
"We don't live too far apart and we're always talking, if we
don't talk in person, we talk on the phone and he has been
talking to me a lot, he helped me a lot throughout the
years," Edwards said of the seam bowler who is currently the
Barbados captain in regional first class cricket but who has
been overlooked by the West Indies selectors for the better
part of the last year.
The 26 year old Edwards said that Collymore, the 30 year old
who debuted in Tests in 1999 has told him to be more
focused, exercise greater patience and keep his head still
when delivering the ball.
Edwards whose figures read 12.3 overs, 2 maidens, 3 wickets
for 50 runs, also said that his rhythm is excellent and he
used the overcast conditions to his advantage.
"I thought the first spell was ok, I got the ball in the
right areas most of the time, it was swinging for me, it was
overcast conditions and I just looked to put the ball in the
right areas and work to the team plan," explained Edwards
who has so far taken 78 wickets in his 31st Test.
"The ball has been going through to the keeper pretty nice,
it has been seaming a bit, it (the pitch) has a lot of grass
on it, hopefully it can get hard, it is not as fast as I
thought it would be but as the sun comes on it hopefully it
can get hard," opined Edwards as he spoke on the condition
of the pitch.
But he explained that the Windies lost out on capturing
additional wickets in the final session since after the rain
the ball became wet and heavy and stopped swinging.
Edwards was left out of the starting line up for the First
Digicel Test in Guyana which the home team lost but edged
into the final eleven for the Second Digicel Test ahead of
countryman Sulieman Benn, the lanky left arm spinner who
debuted in Guyana.
