Tonearm Terrorwrist
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looks like the test will be commencing in the early hours of the morning
CricInfo match preview
West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Devon Smith, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Brendan Nash, 6 Ryan Hinds, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Daren Powell, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Fidel Edwards.
England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Owais Shah, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Ryan Sidebottom, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar.
any momentum the West Indies had going into the second test would have evaporated by now ... th 51 would be a distant memory by now and i think we'll see a better performance from the poms
http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wiveng2009/content/current/story/390760.htmlICC give all-clear for Antigua Test
The Antigua Recreation Ground resembled a building site this morning as construction staff, painters, groundstaff and even firemen all helped to try and transform the venerable but near-derelict ground into a Test arena for tomorrow's hastily arranged third Test. By 5pm, however, all that hard work had paid off, as Alan Hurst, the ICC match referee, gave the all-clear for the match to get underway at 10am on Sunday, barely 48 hours after the original Antigua Test had been consigned to history's scrapheap.
"I'm very happy with the ground," Hurst told Cricinfo. "I think in the 24 hours they've had to prepare the ground, they've done a fantastic job. There are a few problems with the surface and it is not perfect, but they've done as good a job as they could have, and the wicket looks great."
People have been working through the night to bring the venue up to standard, and all through the day, the facilities slowly took shape. By the time it had passed its final check from the ICC, one of the most remarkable transformations in sporting history was well underway. Now all that remains is the action itself.
A few days ago this venue was basically a football field, albeit one used by both teams to prepare for the second Test, and the goal markings are still visible on the outfield. "The soccer lines were quite deep and embedded," said Hurst. "It was an area of concern for the players that the lines would give bad bounce. We can't guarantee that it will be perfect, but when the players see it they will be quite surprised."
However, the pitch looks sound - it was the one prepared specially for the net sessions of both teams, and described by Andrew Strauss as "spicy" - although, seeing as the ARG was famously the scene of two Brian Lara world records as well as the highest run-chase in Test history, there is faith in its ability to last the course.
"The pitch is never a problem here," Andy Roberts, the former head groundsman at the ARG, told Cricinfo. "I think it will last. The slight problem is the outfield." The ground is bumpy because of the football usage, and one piece of turf near the Viv Richards pavilion has been replaced using sods of turf from the local golf course, compacted into place with the heavy roller.
"There was a sandy patch at the pavilion end," said Hurst. "It wasn't like sand at the other ground, it was stable and never a safety issue, it was more what it looked like." An embarrassment on the scale of the second Test is certainly not anticipated.
One of the key issues facing the ARG is the state of the spectator facilities, but the double-decker West Indian Oil stand, the heart and soul of the ground in years gone by, will now be open on both levels after it was cleared by health and safety executives this afternoon. That leaves the total ground capacity at around 10,000, most of which will be taken up by dislocated England fans, although there is a hope that the locals will now show their support. "They will come down to the game, now that it's back at the ARG," one WICB official told Cricinfo.
Everyone has pulled together to try and make this work. Andy Flower, England's interim coach, arrived on the ground at around 9.45am to inspect the pitch and conditions, and was soon seen talking on his mobile phone. Both teams though had already expressed a desire that the show must go on.
The fire brigade were called in to water the outfield, while all the advertising hoardings were imported from North Sound and put into place first thing in the morning. The stands have been cleared of rubbish and were given a new lick of paint that remained tacky to the touch for much of the day. Out on the pitch the goal-posts, quite literally, have been moved.
The TV crews have been working flat out all day to get themselves ready for Sunday's 10am start, and while some of the detail will be lost because of time and logistical restraints - specifically no stump microphones and no referral system - full and uninterrupted coverage is anticipated.
The old scoreboard, which has already seen so much action in the 28 years since the ARG hosted its first Test, is poised and ready for action, while joiners and construction workers have put up a temporary sight-screen to one side of player's dressing room. There is a sense of optimism that was distinctly lacking at North Sound yesterday, and there are even a few smiles on faces.
The final verdict will only be ascertained once the Test gets underway, and rain late in the day was not what the groundstaff ordered. At the moment, however, it looks like the ARG is back.
CricInfo match preview
http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wiveng2009/content/current/story/390757.htmlEngland desperate for fightback at old Rec
The Preview by Will Luke
February 14, 2009
Match facts
Sunday February 15 - Thursday February 19
Start time 10.00am (14.00GMT)
Big Picture
After England's Sabina Park debacle last week, an altogether different farce afflicted the series when the second Test was abandoned due to sand. Friday the 13th had struck, and how. Never before had Antigua's most plentiful resource caused such embarrassment to a proud nation, and with the Sir Viv Richards Stadium now hosting an army of diggers to ascertain its future viability as a Test ground, all eyes turn to the Antigua Recreation Ground. The old Rec, as it is known, is dripping in history - it hosted not one, but two of Brian Lara's world records - before it was consigned to the scrapheap following its last Test in 2006. Since then, the ARG has been mainly used for training and preparation. Prior to the second Test, England netted there and the faster bowlers generated extreme pace on very slippery surfaces, a trend which continued this morning as Steve Harmison worked up a head of steam. Dropped for the second Test, Harmison could well return here if conditions suit him. The shock abandonment of Friday's Test was an unfortunate stumbling block for England, in particular, as they are desperate to bounce back from their calamitous 51 all out a week ago in Jamaica. Ian Bell was dropped on Friday in place of Owais Shah, who will finally get his chance on Sunday - and, one would expect, he will be given a long stretch to prove his worth. For their bowling attack, however, England might well opt for Harmison's pace and bounce over Anderson's seam and swing in a horses-for-courses selection.
For West Indies, it seems unlikely they will change their starting XI from the second Test, in which Xavier Marshall was dropped for Ryan Hinds. Yet there is a sense that, although they are 1-0 up in the series, the farcical scenes in North Sound on Friday could affect the momentum of the side; the bright new era of hope that Jerome Taylor and West Indies generated in the first Test has again been replaced by calls for administrative repercussions and heads to roll. All West Indies can hope for is a repeat of their Jamaica brilliance, leaving the penpushers to continue their bungling.
Form guide (most recent first)
West Indies DWDDL
England DLDLW
Watch out for ?
Jerome Taylor: His spell of a lifetime in Jamaica not only won the Test for West Indies, but woke their slumbering fans from a decade of mild indifference. Bowling fast, full and straight, not even Kevin Pietersen could cope with the late swing, his off stump cartwheeling back to spark England's dramatic collapse. Taylor has always had the ability to lead the attack. Crucially, does he now believe he's earned that role? Andrew Strauss: Of all of England's current underperforming lot, Strauss is the man who most needs a score. England need his runs, but he needs them more; a hundred at the ARG will cement his authority among a team containing two former captains, and set in place his vision for the side's future. With England collapsing meekly in Jamaica, followed by the sandy farce in Antigua, Strauss desperately needs to issue a statement that all will be well - something he does beautifully in press conferences, if not yet with the bat as captain.
Team news
Will Owais Shah actually play this time? Picked for the second Test, the match only lasted 10 balls. Now is his chance to prove that his seemingly interminable wait (he made his debut in March 2006) has been worth it. This tour has lurched from disaster to farce for England, but barring any overnight injuries it seems unlikely they will make any changes to their XI from the second Test, apart from drafting in Harmison for Anderson. England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Owais Shah, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Ryan Sidebottom, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar.
Ryan Hinds, the spinning allrounder, should retain his place in West Indies XI. Lendl Simmons was considered unlucky not to make the team for the second Test, but it seems unlikely West Indies will alter their line-up.
West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Devon Smith, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Brendan Nash, 6 Ryan Hinds, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Daren Powell, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Fidel Edwards.
Pitch & conditions
Nothing will ever compare (one hopes) to the ridiculous state of the outfield in North Sound, and although the old Rec hasn't hosted a Test since 2006, the early signs are that the grass does not have several feet of sand eagerly seeping through its blades. The stands might be in a state of disrepair (and even disuse), but the pitch is expected to be spicy and lively - even accounting for the painted centre circle where football games have been staged. That particular area has been rolled flat. The groundsmen are working flat out to ready the ground in time, and it seems they're winning the battle. The ICC at least are convinced. The match referee, Alan Hurst, gave his seal of approval at 5pm on the eve of the Test.
Stats & Trivia
The last Test staged at the ARG was against India in 2006, in which Chris Gayle cracked 69 in West Indies' chase of 392. Fidel Edwards and Cory Collymore held on for a tense draw.
England's record here is poor. They haven't won in the six previous encounters, and in two of those - in 1994 and 2004 - Brian Lara smashed his two world records, 375 and 400 not out.
The old Rec has hosted more draws (11) than wins (10), but one of West Indies' most famous victories came in 2003 when they chased down 418 to beat Australia.
Quotes
"The ultimate responsibility lies with the board and we are not shirking it."
Julian Hunte, chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board, fronts up to the criticism
"The Recreation Ground is not in brilliant condition as we speak but from a netting point of view the wickets were satisfactory, the bowlers' run-ups were fine, the outfield is not great but I don't think it's dangerous".
Andrew Strauss is diplomatic yet straightforward about the decision to host the third Test at the ARG.
"The pitch is never a problem here. I think it will last. The slight problem is the outfield."
Andy Roberts, the former head groundsman at the ARG, offers his view on the rebirth of the Rec
West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Devon Smith, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Brendan Nash, 6 Ryan Hinds, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Daren Powell, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Fidel Edwards.
England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Owais Shah, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Ryan Sidebottom, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar.
any momentum the West Indies had going into the second test would have evaporated by now ... th 51 would be a distant memory by now and i think we'll see a better performance from the poms
