Ground under the spotlight
Antigua under ICC supervision, possibly face sanction
||Desk Report||
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has brought up the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua pitch under its supervision after the second Test between England and West Indies that ended in three days. The ground might be subjected to some serious sanction.
The several injuries by uneven bounces and some unplayable deliveries raise the questions about the pitch. England head coach Trevor Bayliss expressed his disappointment about the pitch played out after the heavy loss they faced in the second Test. "It wasn't the greatest wicket we've ever seen in world cricket. It looked to me as if you had to be careful of the ball leaping off a length," he said. In the second Test, the hosts scored 301 in their first innings while England were bowled out twice inside three days ond10 wickets.
According to the ICC rules, the pitch can be rated unfit to poor to below average in the manner it behaves during the five days of a Test. The unfit Pitches gets five demerit points, poor pitches gets three points and below-average gets one demerit point. The unfit pitch which gets five demerit points will be banned from hosting internationals for 12 months. They can be banned for two years if they get 10.
Meanwhile, a Test in 2009 between West Indies and England at the same pitch was abandoned after 10 deliveries due to an unfit outfield