T&T disappointed at not hosting Tests

The chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Association has expressed disappointment at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain not being allotted any Test matches for 2011. West Indies host India and Pakistan in back-to-back home series between April and July 2011 but the Queen's Park Oval, a regular five-day venue, will not be staging any of the five Tests during that period.

"We will have three matches between West Indies and India and these matches are sure to be sold out come June next year," Azim Bassarath said. "However, I have noticed that there are no Test matches for us in 2011 and this leaves us concerned. I understand that one of the legacies of the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean is that more venues cropped up and the board would like to please everybody.

"However, we in T&T need to have Test matches here so that our young and developing players can get a taste of the best form of the game."

Instead, the island of Dominica will be hosting its first Test match during the India series, while Sabina Park in Jamaica and the Kensington Oval in Barbados are the two other venues. Bassarath hoped the completion of the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago would enhance the chances of the country hosting more Tests. "I am not bashing the WICB for the situation but what I am saying is that we have to come up with strategies to get more cricket in T&T," he said.

"The Queen's Park Oval is a great venue and would continue to host matches but if we can add the Brian Lara Stadium to that, and of course the stadium is owned by government so the rental will be less, we can be in a better position to bargain for matches."