CRICKET: The first day's play of the second Test between West Indies and England was abandoned after only 10 deliveries because of the poor state of the playing surface.
Match referee Alan Hurst was called into the middle at 10.40am by umpires Rudi Koertzen and Tony Hill after the West Indies bowlers Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards struggled to run to the crease.
The heavily-sanded outfield at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium caused plenty of controversy in the build-up to the match but captains Andrew Strauss and Chris Gayle both agreed to play yesterday.
Only 10 deliveries were possible in 14 minutes on the field either side of an early-morning shower.
The match descended into farce when, after a 23-minute delay for rain, Edwards aborted three times out of five upon the resumption.
Hurst made his way to the middle at 10.40am, to discuss the issue with the West Indians clearly not happy with their lot.
The surface at the ground was re-laid last autumn and the grass has not grown back sufficiently since, which led to huge volumes of sand being spread on to the outfield.
“The bowlers are having problems with their footings,” Hurst explained afterwards. “They were having trouble getting any traction at all.
“The umpires have agreed with that. It is a health hazard for the players. Play has been abandoned for the day as the ground is unfit.”