West Indies suffered a significant injury blow on the third morning of the third Test in St Lucia, when Keemo Paul, their impressive young allrounder, had to be stretchered from the field after damaging his right quadriceps. He is not expected to bat in their second innings*.
The incident occurred in the fourth over of the morning, when Paul set off in pursuit of a Joe Denly cover-drive off Shannon Gabriel. After initially sprinting at full tilt, Paul pulled up suddenly ten metres from the rope, and fell to the ground as soon as he had left the field of play.
He continued to receive treatment behind the boundary as play continued, before being wheeled around the perimeter of the ground to sympathetic applause, and was replaced by the substitute fielder, Jomel Warrican.
West Indies announced soon afterwards that Paul had suffered a right quadriceps strain, and later said he had been sent for scans, along with Darren Bravo, who did not take to the field all day after injuring his finger earlier in the match.
Those scans revealed a significant tear which is likely to prevent Paul playing any part in the ODI series that follows the Test series. While West Indies said he could bat in an emergency in the second innings of the Test, he is most unlikely to do so with the match situation rendering such a gesture largely futile.
It was a cruel end to a very impressive performance from Paul, who came into the St Lucia match as a replacement for West Indies' captain, Jason Holder, following his suspension for a slow over-rate in Antigua.
Paul struck with his first ball of the Test to remove Keaton Jennings in England's first innings, en route to creditable figures of 2 for 58, and he repeated the dose with his first ball on day three, as Rory Burns clipped a loosener to square leg.
*February 12, 1615 GMT - This story was updated with news of Paul's scan