Soggy outfield stalls Balmain match

SOGGY outfield conditions at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain deprived players of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana of another day’s play in their Carib Beer Series first round encounter which should have started on Friday. Persistent showers on Friday left the ground water-logged at the edges of the boundary perimeter. Yesterday, there was no rain but the outfield was wet and soggy to allow umpires Camal Basdeo (TT) and Basil Morgan (Montserrat) to order the removal of the covers until after 2 pm.

The sight which greeted everyone was a big surprise because water had seeped through the double covers and there appeared two big wet patches on the pitch just outside the line of the off-stump of a right-hander forward defensive prod. In addition, the slip areas for both right and left-handed batsmen at the northern end of the pitch were also very wet and dangerous for play to start. The northern end of the outfield area was questionable for any play to start.

The umpires, in consultation with match inspector Mohammed Hosein and the two captains —  Daren Ganga (TT) and Damodar Daesrath (Guyana) decided to rule any propect of play for the day at about 2.45 pm. The ground staff were tidying up and keeping things in shape for a start today at 10 am. Barring any more showery interruption, this match will become a two-day affair. The points system states that in an incomplete match, the team which leads on first innings will be awarded six points while the other team will get three.