Stadium manager at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Keithroy Black. (Observer media photo)
By Neto Baptiste
Stadium manager at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Keithroy Black, has moved to debunk what he has called “false information” regarding a short delay to the start of the fourth One Day International (ODI) between West Indies Women and Pakistan Women here in Antigua.
Speaking with Observer media, Black said he received calls from several individuals, including some within government, enquiring as to why the match was delayed due to a wet pitch. He added, however, that although there was a slight delay to the start of the fixture, it was due to moisture on the field.
“We had a situation where we had extra moisture overnight, because teams are here training on a regular, and sometimes they use the practice area and sometimes they use the main square. So every day, overnight, you have to prepare for the next day; so there was a little extra moisture. Some umpires may have decided it as good enough and they can start, but the match official on the day decided it was a bit too much moisture so they let it dry out a bit and then started the game, so it’s not a situation where the field or the pitch was wet,” he said.
Black urged those responsible to ensure the information they put out is accurate sometimes, it does more harm than good.
“We reached out to Cricket West Indies to find out what went on and they assured us that it didn’t come from them because they understand and they didn’t send that information out there. We’re still trying to find out who would have put that information into the public. I just see it as somebody being mischievous, not understanding what the situation is and they went out and took it to the media,” he said.
The stadium manager went on to commend the staff at the facility for the quality work they continue to produce.
“We have been having cricket here for the entire year so far, and any break was maybe one or two weeks at the most, but the guys have been working tirelessly to keep the grounds up to par for training camps, matches, going as far back as January and these guys have to be appreciated for that effort,” Black said.
The match was delayed by 30 minutes with the toss taken at 10 am. Pakistan Women won the toss and elected to field.