P Deeley: Sabina Park comes under microscope (22 May 1998)

Friday, May 22, 1998

Sabina Park comes under microscope

By Peter Deeley

WEST INDIES have been told that following the embarrassment of the abandoned England Test at Sabina Park, Kingston last January the pitch will be vetted before further international games there.

This follows the Lord's meeting of the International Cricket Council. Sir Clyde Walcott, chairman of the council's cricket committee, yesterday expressed "extreme concern" at the Jamaica fiasco which closely followed a similar farce in the India-Sri Lanka one-day international at Indore last Christmas.

This is the first time the ICC have been faced with such a situation, though the council had already asked match referees to report on overall facilities at all new and existing grounds. The committee pointed out that the Sabina Park square has now been relaid.

Sir Clyde listed a number of other matters concerning the council. These included excessive appealing, drinks breaks over and above those officially permitted, and the increase in players leaving the field with too many substitutes being brought on.

The ICC's cricketing committee also decided to alter a number of standard playing conditions for Test matches:

In future, bowling down the leg side into the rough in first-class cricket will be called a wide and one run scored plus any extras that accrue.

ICC said that such negative tactics were becoming "a major problem". Where umpires considered that such deliveries were deliberately intended to stifle the scoring, the strict interpretation on wides already applied in the limited-overs game would be followed.

Players will in future be allowed to leave the field for only two overs. The committee felt that the present condition which allows them to leave the field for 15 minutes without penalty was being "subject to abuse".

If a ball needs to be replaced after 110 overs, it must be replaced with a new one. The committee felt that this would prevent teams, preferring to use an old ball, from replacing it with one of a similar condition.

The ICC confirmed that a new international umpire would be brought in for the England-South Africa Tests following the court appearance in Hobart of Steve Randell, who had been assigned to one game in the series.

It is understood that Randell, who is now on bail on charges of indecency, has been removed from the Australian Cricket Board's active umpiring list pending the outcome of the case.

At the Oval, meanwhile, for Adam Hollioake there was "no disgrace" in losing the first match of the Texaco Trophy series yesterday to what he termed the world's No 1 one-day side.

South Africa's fielding confirmed all he suspected about them. "We knew they were pretty dynamic and they are - brilliant," he said. "But England fought well and I am proud of how they did. I would like to think we can match them in the field in the last two games."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)