Whoever is chosen is likely to be no more than insurance against further breakdowns.
As chairman of the panel, Clyde Butts, pointed out by telephone from Georgetown yesterday, the new player would even be hard pressed to arrive in Adelaide by Friday for the start of the second Test, given the time it would take to obtain a visa and the length of the flight.
It begs the question why the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) didn’t move earlier on the issue. Although he batted in both innings (out for 8 and a first-ball 0) it was obvious during the Brisbane Test that Taylor’s injury was serious enough to end his tour.
Now, even if his stand-in is needed for the third and final Test in Perth December 16-20, he would have no match practice. Although there is a gap of eight days between last two Tests, the West Indies do not have a fixture scheduled in that time.
It is an omission that further limits the preparation for the team which had only one first-class match outside the Tests, against Queensland, that preceded their three-day, innings loss in the first Test last Saturday.
Taylor, who has taken 82 wickets in his 49 Tests, was regarded as the spearhead of the attack. His injury restricted him to nine overs in Brisbane, leaving the fast bowling in the hands of 21-year-old Kemar Roach, playing his third Test, and Ravi Rampaul on debut.
His place in Adelaide is likely to go to Gavin Tonge, the burly Antiguan who is on his first tour and yet to play a Test.
All-rounder Darren Sammy, whose 25 wickets in seven Tests have included three innings returns of five wickets or more, is another alternative.
Butts revealed that Sammy had not been considered for the first Test because he was carrying “a slight groin strain”.
“Given that, I couldn’t understand why he was used as Taylor’s substitute in the match but it indicates that he should be fit again and available for selection for Adelaide,” he said.
With Taylor now out and Fidel Edwards, the leading wicket-taker among the present bowlers, with 122 in 43 Tests, unavailable from the start because of back and knee problems, the fast bowling cupboard is almost bare.
Richardson, 28, was named in the squad of 13 for the first Test against Bangladesh in St.Vincent last July but then joined the strike called by the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) in its dispute over contracts with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
It gave Roach and Tonge the chance to overtake him in the pecking order through their performances for the replacement team in the Bangladesh series and the Champions Trophy in South Africa that followed.
Richardson came through the West Indies under-19 team, then into the Jamaica team in 2003. Through his career, he has had to deal with injuries but a return of 33 wickets in the 2009 regional season gained him selection for the tour of England last May.
As Taylor departed, there was better news for the West Indies.
Reports from Adelaide are that Ramnaresh Sarwan, veteran of 81 Tests in which he has scored 5,671 runs at an average of 42.32, has resumed practice and is expected to resume his key No.3 position in Adelaide.
Muscle spasms in his back ruled him out of the Brisbane Test and Travis Dowlin, his fellow Guyanese, took his place at No.3.
He topscored in the first innings with a disciplined 62 and was last out after three hours, 50 minutes defiance.
It should be enough to secure his place, probably moving to No.4 between Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Left-hander Brendan Nash, who has been a consistent scorer at No.6 since coming into the team in New Zealand last December, would be the one likely to make way.
Returning to the Gabba ground where he initially played first-class cricket for Queensland, the Australia-born Nash was dismissed for 18 and 7.
Australia have also lost a fast bowler for the Test through injury.
Ben Hilfenhaus, Man of the Match in Brisbane for his five wickets, has damaged his knee and 28-year-old right-arm Victorian fast bowler Clint McKay has been called into the 12.
