Jeremy Solozano ruled out of second Test against Sri Lanka

WEST Indies will again be forced to make a change to their batting line-up as opener Jeremy Solozano has been ruled out of the second and final Test match against Sri Lanka, which bowls off at 12.30 am (TT time), on Monday.

In the opening Test at the Galle International Stadium, which Sri Lanka won by 187 runs, Solozano was struck in the helmet fielding at short leg and had to leave the field on a stretcher. He suffered a concussion and played no further part in the match.

The incident occurred in the first innings, so Solozano never got the opportunity to bat in what was his Test debut.

Jermaine Blackwood, who is a middle-order batsman, replaced Solozano as the opener.

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who opened with Blackwood, confirmed on Sunday that Solozano is unavailable.

“He has been ruled out from playing, obviously, with the concussion,” Brathwaite told journalists on Zoom.

Asked who will replace Solozano as opener, Brathwaite said, “With the options (we have), obviously (it’s) between Blackwood and Shai (Hope)…we will make that decision a little later.”

Shannon Gabriel was given the nod ahead of fellow fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales in the opening match.

Brathwaite said Gabriel was chosen in the starting XI because he would have been able to use his pace on the flat wicket.

Brathwaite knows his team must deliver with a stronger effort in the second Test. “Sri Lanka obviously played well. I know we did not do as good as we could do as a team. We know it will be a challenge, but we know we are up for the task and we know where we have to improve. First innings totals as a batting unit is crucial especially in these conditions and we know what we have to do and to improve on for sure.” The Sri Lankan spinners tore apart the West Indies batsmen in the first Test grabbing the bulk of the wickets.

Brathwaite said in the second Test the West Indies batsmen must “defend a lot of balls” against the spinners and play with a “straight bat.”

He added that the batsmen must decide what their approach will be against the Sri Lankan spinners.

“The plan is to be clear on what we want to do and believe that you can do it and do it for long periods as well. I think that is the key. We do it well for some periods, but it is for the extended periods that we got to have the discipline and the fight to do it over two sessions, over three sessions. I think that is very important for us.”