KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jerome Taylor hopes to manage the weight of expectations, and his creaky body when he makes his return to serious competition for Jamaica in the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship.
The 26-year-old West Indies fast bowler is on the comeback trail, after he was sidelined with a hip injury, following the fifth One-day International against South Africa last June.
“At this moment, the body is feeling alright and I know the expectations are very high,” he said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer newspaper.
“Because I’m a West Indies player, people are looking out for all the good things from Jerome Taylor. The pressure is going to be on, but I think I’m accustomed to that, and will be looking forward to the challenge.”
Taylor has been named in Jamaica’s 14-member squad for the CT20, which opens tomorrow at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.
“There is still room for improvement, and there is always a learning curve as long as you play this game, so I’m trying to ensure I cover the basics,” he said.
“It is still cricket, so you have to take it game by game, step by step. I’m doing all I can do to ensure that on the day I’m ready.
He added: “At this present moment, everything is alright, so I hope it stays like this, or even gets better as we go along, because I’m still looking to improve in all areas of my strengthening.”
Taylor has played 29 Tests, 66 One-day Internationals, and 17 Twenty20 Internationals for West Indies since his debut in 2003.
