LOC: No sticky wicket at St Mary’s

This was the assurance given yesterday by LOC cricket operations manager Ann Browne-John. South Africa face Ireland today at the Sir Frank Worrell Oval at UWI, St Augustine in the first of several warm-up matches at that venue this week.

Canada and Pakistan are the other two teams involved in these matches. Next week, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bermuda arrive in Trinidad and Tobago for their Group B preliminary matches which will take place at the Queen’s Park Oval.

On Saturday, both the South African and Pakistani teams expressed their dissatisfaction with the practice facilities at St Mary’s.

The South Africans went through their paces at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva yesterday. Browne-John told Newsday that the LOC was aware of the concerns raised by the South Africans but not about those raised by Pakistan.

She said the South Africans’ complaints were centred around the wicket being dusty and this may have been a result of the pitch being dried out by the recent spell of hot weather the country has been experiencing.

Browne-John said the pitch was watered and the Irish team practised at St Mary’s from 9 am to 12.30 pm yesterday without complaints.

She expressed surprise about the Pakistani concerns about St Mary’s pitch being below standard. Browne-John said as far as she was aware, the Pakistan team only conducted light fielding exercises at St Mary’s on Saturday and did not use the wicket (bat or bowl).

Browne-John gave the assurance that the LOC will continue to monitor the situation closely at all grounds (practice and match venues) in the country being used by the teams for the World Cup.

She said measures will be put in place to ensure that the teams using these venues will be able to do so in comfort and at the level which international cricket demands.