June 11, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 10, 1424

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KINGSTOWN (St Vincent), June 10: West Indies have left out fast bowler Mervyn Dillon for Wednesday’s third and final one-day international against Sri Lanka.

Teenager Jerome Taylor has been drafted into the one-day squad to replace Dillon, who will be rested for the two-match Test series, a spokesman for the West Indies Cricket Board said on Tuesday.

Taylor, 18, impressed the West Indies selectors by taking 21 wickets in six games in the recent domestic season.

However, he has played a single one-day game at senior level and is unlikely to be named in the final eleven ahead of fellow Jamaican pace bowler Daren Powell.

Dillon normally spearheads the West Indies attack and is the only member of the current squad who has taken more than 100 wickets at international level.

He took three for 39 in the first game against Sri Lanka on Saturday, but posted a poor 0-66 on Sunday when the touring side marched to an unbeatable 2-0 series lead.

The double whammy in Barbados has raised questions about the temperament of the West Indies team who are once again struggling to avoid a whitewash.

In the recent seven-match one-day series against Australia, the world champions stormed to an unassailable 4-0 lead before the West Indies produced their best cricket to claw back to 4-3.

Similarly, the West Indies went 3-0 behind in the Test series against Australia, only to produce a record-breaking second innings tally to avoid a whitewash in the fourth and final Test in Antigua.

The West Indies seemed on course to level the Sri Lanka series 1-1 on Sunday when Brian Lara’s majestic 116 helped his side to a towering 312.

Sri Lanka batted tenaciously to overhaul the total, but the West Indies’ wayward bowling and countless fielding errors helped the visitors to the finishing line.

“We seem to be wanting under pressure,” was Lara’s post-match assessment.

Sri Lanka’s decision to reshuffle their batting order seemed to pay off in the first Barbados double-header.

Skipper Marvan Atapattu moved to number three as Romesh Kaluwitharana returned to the top of the batting order.

The surprise appearance of Upul Chandana at number five paid off handsomely when he belted 89 off 71 balls at a crucial time in the innings.

West Indies (from) - Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Omari Banks, David Bernard, Corey Collymore, Vasbert Drakes, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ryan Hurley, Ridley Jacobs, Daren Powell, Ricardo Powell, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor

Sri Lanka (from): Marvan Atapattu (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Naveed Nawaz, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Dharshana Gamage, Prabath Nissanka, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Kumar Dharmasena, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dinusha Fernando.—Reuters