(Barbados Nation) The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has been blasted by a top local sporting official over the poor quality of pitches which are prepared for regional junior tournaments.
Manager of the Barbados 13-and-Under cricket team, Adrian Donovan, has called on the WICB to improve the quality of pitches in Trinidad and Guyana, where the majority of those competitions are played.
His comments came in the wake of the Barbados’ team’s recent demolition of Trinidad and Tobago in the just concluded goodwill series where they won the three-match ODI series 2-0, and then scored an emphatic innings and 24 runs victory in the lone three-day Test.
Speaking to the DAILY NATION in a telephone interview, Donovan blamed the Trinidadians’ inability to handle the fast and bouncier pitches in Barbados as the main reason for their demise.
He said that because pitches in those two countries were prepared to favour spin bowlers, when batsmen ventured on to more pace friendly pitches they were thoroughly bamboozled.
“The statistics indicate that the majority of wickets in the series went to fast bowlers and the player who got the most wickets was undoubtedly a fast bowler. When you go to Trinidad you are expected to face six or seven spinners of all different forms and styles, but is this the way for our regional cricketers to start?” he questioned.
“So you find that those players who are given a diet of spin will be uncomfortable against fast bowling, and on the other hand although we prepare ourselves for the expected barrage of spin, sometimes the variety of spin is so great that the boys are seeing some variety of spin for the first time,” he added.
Donovan revealed that although the cost of holding such tournaments was an important factor in choosing a venue, it should not be the lone deciding factor.
“It is mind boggling that the WICB continues to play our youth competitions in Guyana and Trinidad when we know in these cases there are slow wickets and that they are always affected by rain. I understand that the expenditure to host such tournaments is the No. 1 consideration, but should this really be?” he queried. He did however laud the WICB for its decision to implement a regional Under-17 tournament, which he said would fully complement the current Under-15 and Under-19 tournaments.
An Under-13 competition was now needed to help in the development of our young cricketers, he added.
“The West Indies Cricket Board has to rethink the whole developmental policy of youth cricket. They have to expose our young cricketers to all kinds of conditions, different facilities within the region, and they need to put programmes in place from the primary school level.
“They must be complimented for introducing the regional Under-17 tournament . . . but the next step has to be an Under-13 competition.”
