Antigua Test Match Abandoned
Is The Future Of Antiguan Cricket At The Old Recreation Ground?
An outfield almost literally built on sand proved too much for bowlers Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards, after only ten balls were possible in what was destined to go down as the shortest test match in history.
Officials at the stadium in North Sounds deemed the outfield unplayable and duly abandoned the match before hastily organising a replacement third test at the nearby Recreation Ground in the capital St John’s.
Stadium Problems
The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has been beset with problems ever since it’s opening for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Poor attendances mean fans have struggled to create any sort of atmosphere, whilst drainage issues have led to a series of problems with the pitch which ultimately resulted in the events of Friday 13th.
The question is, do the scenes at North Sounds mean an abrupt end to test matches at one of cricket’s newest venues, and furthermore does this mean a reprieve for the ever popular historic old Recreation Ground.
Test cricket has not been played at the old Rec since 2006, where the West Indies clung on for a draw against India in what we thought was to be the last ever test match to be played at the ground. It has since fallen into disrepair and has been predominantly used for football matches since.
The Recreation Ground
It is somewhat ironic that the natives would probably prefer to see test cricket at the Recreation Ground anyway. The new stadiums’ out of town location and lack of genuine Caribbean cricket character means it has never been truly accepted by Antiguan cricket fans, as its older brother once was.
The Recreation Ground is a place steeped in history. The West Indies recorded a world record run chase, successfully chasing down 418 against Australia in 2003. It has also played host to both of Brian Lara’s world record innings in 1994 and 2004 as well as Sir Vivian Richards’ fastest ever test match century in 1986. Ironically these events took place against England, and perhaps fittingly it is they who will provide the opposition at the rebirth of the historic venue.
The scenes in Antigua provided the West Indian Cricket Board with another embarrassing chapter in a recent line of misfortune. The abandoned test match at Sabina Park in Jamaica back in 1998, as well as the poorly organised World Cup in 2007 are still fresh in the memory, making the next step in deciding what to do about the Antigua debacle all the more important.
However, every cloud has a silver lining, even one as bleak as the events of Friday 13th. The return of one of the grand old ladies of West Indian cricket will be sure to but a smile back on Antiguan faces come the start of what is now the third test.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles