A pointless farrago

Traditionally, the first match of any cricket tour is looked forward to with great excitement. The visiting side have their first feel of playing cricket in a new environment, while the home players and spectators get to see glimpses of what is in store.

And yet England's first match, against Jamaica at Sabina Park, left a sour taste in the mouth. What started as a proper first-class match descended into a glorified net, with England batting and bowling a total of 13 players. The players' body language, on both sides, made it clear that by the end the result really didn't matter - all they wanted was for the whole thing to end.

Publicly, the Jamaican board has not complained - in fact, it actually agreed to England's request. But privately some board members are said to be unhappy that after arranging the match, laying on security and organising a side, the board has been rewarded by being treated this way by England. Imagine the furore if the West Indians opened their coming tour of England at Lord's, and then treated a three-day game against Middlesex in such a cavalier manner.

The England management argued that with barely a fortnight between arriving and the first Test, they needed to get as many of the squad time in the middle as they could. That might have been the case, but their gripe should be with those in their camp who agreed to the itinerary. As it is, the locals have been utterly disregarded.

And while the batsmen have been able to acclimatise to the conditions and the bowlers have got some idea of what to expect, the value of such a meaningless contest is debatable. The Jamaican side understandably became disenchanted with the whole farrago, and by the end appeared to be barely going through the motions.

As this tedious affair drew to a close there was talk that Friday's match also be turned into a 12-a-side game. Anyone forced to sit through this parody of a sporting contest will be praying that the request is refused.