No more pitch fiascos

LONDON, March 12: International cricket chiefs insisted today there must never be a repeat of the fiasco pitch at Sabina Park, Jamaica that wrecked England’s first Test against the West Indies in the current series.

International Cricket Council (ICC) official Sir Clyde Walcott announced the sport’s governing body will act to ensure no recurrence of pitches such as the one that forced the abandonment of the Jamaica Test in January or the Indore surface for India’s abortive one-day match against Sri Lanka on Christmas Day, last year where instead a exhibition match was played.

Reports from both the Jamaica Cricket Association and the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association will be submitted to their respective National boards and then on to the ICC’s annual conference in June.

Sir Walcott said, “Following a review of these reports the ICC will put in place a procedure to ensure that these circumstances do not arise in the future at any international venue.”