Debasis Sen, Port of Spain: Sir Viv Richards has come down heavily on the West Indies Cricket Board officials for making the Queens Park Oval test a farce. Only 22 overs was bowled on the first day of the fourth Test between India and West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval here, drawing severe flak from all corners.India won the four-Test series 2-0 after victories in the first and third Tests. The draw meant arch rivals Pakistan pushed India to No 2 in the ICC test rankings.
The former West Indies legend was disgusted with the unprofessional ground management at the Oval. It was bizarre to see only 22 overs being bowled on Day 1 in spite of bright sunshine on Day 2,34 & 5. The hosts Queens Park Cricket Club, which celebrated its 125 years anniversary on Saturday was caught at the wrong foot. The club which hosted 60 test matches till date do not possess a super sopper , neither they have the provision of covering the entire ground. In spite of the efforts of the grounds men the ground was deemed unfit to play as there were patches on the outfield.
Sir Viv was fuming with the way the series ended. He was quoted as saying, “It’s a pity the way the series has ended. Only 22 overs could be bowled in the game… I’m very disappointed and I’m disgusted in a big way.”
Richards, who is part of the TV commentary team, further added, “For the players and the commentary team, it’s not the way to let them finish the series. It wasn’t handled in a professional way.”
Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer, who had come along with Karsan Ghawri to watch the Test all the way from London was extremely disappointed to see the match being called off on all four days. “It’s a mockery as you cannot afford to kill test matches like this. The fans (particularly Indians) who have come from UK, USA and Canada will feel let down as they came in to see their favourite players,” said a fuming Engineer at the Presidents chamber of Queens Park Cricket Club.
The former India wicket keeper did find some solace as he was gifted a bat by Virat Kohli. The Indian captain gave away his bat with which he scored his first double hundred in the first test at Antigua. Kohli scored 269 runs , which paved the way for a comprehensive win for the Indians and set the tone for the series.