West Indies to go in for faster tracks

One can expect lively pitches suiting the faster bowlers during the 2007 World Cup as the West Indian administrators have decided to go in for a major revamp after a two-day pitch and grounds seminar held in Barbados last week.

Over the last 20 years, the pitches in the West Indies have undergone a gradual shift as zippy tracks with trampoline-like bounce, a prominent feature in the 1980s, have all but disappeared and given way to the slow pitches mainly assisting the batsmen. Baldath Mahabir, the second vice-president of the T&T Cricket Board, was reported as saying in The Trinidad Guardian: "The aim is to have faster, more consistent wickets in time for the World Cup. World Cup 2007 Inc has joined forces with the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, as well as UWI St Augustine. The soil agronomy departments of both campus will be involved in finding the right mix to bring the pitches up to the required standards. Almost all the major venues will have their pitches replaced with faster pitches that is sure to produce better cricket."

Mahabir added that the curators needed to be trained much more regarding the intricacies of pitch preparation. "Next month there will be a workshop in St Lucia for the curators," he said, "and they are going to be schooled in the art of producing top quality pitches. No longer will guys just be able to walk off the streets and become curators. Persons would now have to undergo training to become certified to touch the region's pitches." The National Training Agency also plan to set up a system to grade curators and groundsmen and the first session is expected to take place soon.

Mahabir felt that said the West Indian team will benefit in the long run as players will adapt easier while playing abroad. "Our team seems to compete better in the Caribbean. However, when they tour, they come up against faster pitches and are found wanting when they get short deliveries," he said. "Just look at openers Chris Gayle and Xavier Marshall in the one-day game in St Vincent. They were all at sea with the hostile bowling of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. When we produce better, faster pitches our players will be able to practice on them, play their regional matches on them and hence perform better when they face faster bowling."