'Time for hi-tech pitches here'

The quality of pitches in the Caribbean is a source of concern to West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Pat Rousseau.

"We need to lift the standard of pitches. We need to get good pitches, good bounce and good pace. We don't have them," Rousseau said.

"The pitch in Anguilla, I understand, is probably the best example of that today - good bounce and good pace.

"We used to have that at Sabina and Kensington. There is no reason why we shouldn't have it still. We need to do something about the preparation of pitches."

Rousseau was speaking to reporters on Friday night after the announcement at Accra Beach Hotel of a new sponsorship agreement between the WICB and Cable & Wireless.

The WICB boss said the Caribbean needed to follow the example set by Australia and introduce technological elements in the area of pitch preparation.

He made reference to the pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was prepared away from the ground.

"Look at the quality of the wicket. That's because they have invested in the technological work," Rousseau said.

He added that a study on the technological aspect of pitch preparation was done in Trinidad a few years ago, but he was uncertain whether the results were adopted and implemented.

In an effort to raise the standard of pitches around the region, the WICB held a meeting with regional curators where there was a "good exchange of ideas" and it was hoped regular meetings would take place in the future.