Former West Indies captain and one of West Indies’ most successful batsmen, Sir Vivian Richards, has previously said that poorly prepared pitches are a major problem affecting cricket in the Caribbean.
He expressed his views on this a few months ago while joining a program called Good Morning Jo Jo Sports Show.
He said that some players find it uncomfortable to facing on short-pitched deliveries or even bowling in general at the highest level as a prime indicator that there is a need to overhaul the methods currently being used.
He also pointed out that redesigning the existing methods is a key indicator.
“I don’t think there is enough preparation being put into wickets, and wickets play a huge part because sometimes you get some individuals who would be selected because of some good performances on some dodgy tracks.
So when you get to the bigger picture or they take a step up, then you find individuals are found wanting because these wickets are rather inferior on either side of the coin, whether it’s batting or bowling.
We need to pay a little more attention to having proper wickets that can be quite competitive for bat and ball,” He said
A number of former players, including Sir Clive Lloyd, Jeffrey Dujon, Sir Andy Roberts and Sir Curtly Ambrose have all raised the issue of pitch preparation in the past, signaling the need for better tracks.
He also raised another point in the program. There has been a decline in the number of players allowed to play in the English state championships, which is also a factor in the increasing number of problematic situations.
“We have had a number of years to actually work it out in terms of exactly what was happening and to get our own system in place because one has to remember that we have a cricket legacy as a West Indies unit and as an establishment, so we have some shortcomings in trying to get things in place, and especially knowing what was happening in England at the time, with the limitation of individuals who were regularly part of the county system from this region, that it was going to be no more,”