'I'm only one person' - Taylor

Jerome Taylor refused to question why he bowled so few overs for West Indies on the first day of the Jamaica Test match, despite looking by far the most likely man to unpick the lock to Australia's batting order at Sabina Park.

Possessing an already handsome record at the ground, Taylor improved it further by picking up 3 for 18 from his 15 overs, a tally of deliveries that might easily have been greater. By day's end his Sabina Park ledger stood at 26 wickets at 13.11 from four and a quarter Test matches, leaving many to wonder why the captain Denesh Ramdin did not afford him further opportunities in the morning and then again with the second new ball in the evening.

"I'm only one person," Taylor countered. "It is a bowling unit and each of us have to get a fair chance out there. So, at the same time we know what is required moving forward, so it is a case where each and every one has to chip in. And I think the effort was good at the end of the day."

About not using the second new ball, Taylor said: "The old ball was working for us. We didn't know what the new ball would have been like. So, what was happening was the work we were doing, bowling as well as possible, and see what we could get out of it. So, it is about taking the new ball tomorrow, at whatever time, and at the end of the day it is what it is. It is a good team effort."

As one of the Caribbean's most storied grounds, Sabina Park features two ends bearing the names of the pace bowling giants Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh. It was from Holding's end that Taylor raced in to the wicket, finding swing to add to the speed and bounce he was able to extract from the pitch, particularly when it was fresh. His performance came close to validating Ramdin's decision to send Australia in.

"It is a decision that the captain took and decided, we have to support the skipper 100% so as the bowling leader it was up to me to lead the charge from the front," Taylor said. "It means a lot to me. Of course it is my home crowd, this is a happy hunting ground for me. I have memories that will live with me for the rest of my life. So, being here performing for the crowd and the people of the West Indies and Jamaica, it is just a fantastic feeling.

"Once you are comfortable with your run-up and have you balance then, I mean, that's the two primary things, so it is about hitting the area and concentrating for a long period."

The West Indies' day turned less on anything Taylor did than the one ball with which his offsider Kemar Roach appeared to have taken a wicket. Roach had a poor day, unable to get his lines or lengths consistent, but when he claimed a return catch from the Australian captain Michael Clarke, the tourists were looking at serious trouble. Instead, Clarke was reprieved by a Roach no-ball, and the rest of the first session provided evidence of how sapping such moments can be as Clarke and Steven Smith wrested control.

"It is a blow," Taylor said. "We all know that having Michael Clarke on a no-ball, it is a big chance, but at the end of the day it is still cricket and these things do happen and we have to move on past that. Unfortunately Roachy didn't get the wicket there but we got him out in the end and it is a good feeling for us.

"The first session of the day went haywire and then the bowlers really came back and pulled it together and pulled back the Aussies so much. So, I mean, we are confident about moving forward."