Did the West Indian management do the right thing . by replacing Wal-—sn with Lara as — captain? Can England defeat the West Indies and end a thirty-year drought? Has ' Curtly Ambrose come to the end ' of his career? These were some of the questions that were asked during the days leading up to the first Test between England and West Indies at Kingston. Jamaica. Former England player Jonathan Agnew predicted an 'intriguing contest' in what was to be a very Important match for both the teams. There was great excitement and expectation as everyone eagerly waited for a full five days. Unfortunately. it lasted for a little over half an hour.

It was the first time in the history of Test cricket that a match had to be abandoned because of unfit playing conditions. The two captains, the umpires and the match referee were all in agreement that the pitch was much too dangerous to carry on and that someone could get seriously hurt. As the England captain. Mike Atherton. pointed out, "players' safety is of paramount importance and therefore the authorities concerned did absolutely the right thing by calling off the match."

The pitch at Sabina Park was re-laid with .red clay only eight weeks before the start of the first Test. According to the president of the West Indies cricket board this was done because the Sabina Park pitch had lost all its pace. But this ground has a history of producing notorious pitches dating back to 1968. In 1976 the Indian captain. Blshen Singh Bedi, declared his Innings after only six batsmen were dismissed because he did not want to expose the tailenders to such conditions. In 1986, a Malcolm

Marshall delivery rose from good length to break Mike Gat-ting's nose in a one-day international on the same ground. It is all very well that the West Indies board wanted to produce a pitch which would ensure a result, but thfS was truly going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

So. who is to blame for this fiasco? Is it the groundsmen, the Jamaican cricket authorities of'the board? It does not really matter who takes the blame just so long as they all make sure that such a thing is not repeated because it only undermines the standard of the Same and the management in rat particular country.

A little over a month ago a similar occurrence took place at Indore in India where a ODI had to be called off. Again the pitch was unsuitable for play. Just eighteen balls were bowled on that occasion. The ICC has to seriously contemplate setting up a panel which would make sure that pitches around the world are suitable for an international match.

The West Indies cricket board has responded quickly to both the parties willingness to play a full five-Test series and another Test is likely to be squeezed Into the itinerary.

Is it fair on Mark Butcher that a duck has been registered to his name arid that his average would suffer as result for seemingly no fault of his own? Is it fair on all the people who had travelled all the way to Kingston from England for this single Test? Is it fair on Brian Lara to have to confront such a situation on his- first Test as the official captain of the West Indies? Is it fair on us. the spectators around the world, who have literally been counting days till the start of the series? The answer to all these questions is no. Whoever said anything was fair.