We can't afford to rush Edwards - Gibson

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, has said that he will not rush injured Fidel Edwards back into action because he doesn't want to put the fast bowler's "whole career at risk". Edwards is recovering from recent back surgery and hasn't played for West Indies since the World Twenty20 in June 2009.

"We can't afford to rush him [Edwards] because, if we rush him and something happens, it could put his whole career at risk and we don't want to do that," Gibson told CMC. "He is somebody that we hope - he is only 28 years old - fully recovers from his operation and comes back to play a major part for us in the next couple of years."

Though Edwards hasn't played for West Indies since his injury in the World Twenty20, he turned out for his IPL franchise Deccan Chargers in the Champions League Twenty20 in India last October. He returned from the tournament injured and wasn't given a contract by the West Indies board.

"He abandoned it [WICB's remedial programme] and went to play in the Champions League in India and got injured there," WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire had said. "We now need to sort that out."

Edwards then missed the tour of Australia and underwent surgery and Gibson said he was currently undergoing rehabilitation. "He had a back operation sometime in December or January. He's doing a rehab programme with Jacqui King the physiotherapist," Gibson said. "Once you have had a back injury and it requires an operation, it's a very slow process sometimes. So he needs to take his time with that. He is in good hands with Jacqui King."