The IND vs WI 3rd T20I which was scheduled to start at 8:00 PM IST on Tuesday, was delayed by a few minutes due to a bizarre reason. The match officials noticed that there was no 30-yard circle marked on the field at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The ground staff had to quickly draw the circle before the match could begin.
This was not the first time that the Indian team faced issues with the facilities and arrangements in the West Indies. After the third ODI, which India won by 200 runs to clinch the series 2-1, stand-in captain Hardik Pandya slammed the West Indies Cricket Board (CWI) for not providing basic necessities to the visiting team.
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“We don’t ask for luxury, but we need some basic necessities taken care of,” Pandya said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “From travelling to managing a lot of things. Last year also some hiccups happened. I think it’s time for West Indies Cricket to take note of it and make sure that when a team travels…we really enjoyed coming here and playing some good cricket.”
No Grass on pitch, poor Infrastructure in West Indies: Ashwin
Pandya’s sentiments were echoed by veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was not part of the limited-overs squad but played in the Test series earlier. Ashwin highlighted the poor state of infrastructure and pitch maintenance in the Caribbean islands and said that it would affect the quality of cricket in the region.
“When it comes to West Indies, see, they are actually coming from different countries/islands like Antigua, Barbados, and they all represent West Indies together. So, if you ask me whether their infrastructure has developed well in all those islands? Actually, no,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“We played at the Barbados Test Center. While we practiced in the nets, there was no grass left on the surface. Their nets looked too old. I am not saying these things to blame them or anything. I actually feel really bad for them,” he added.
The five-match T20 series is currently led by the hosts 2-0. The fourth and fifth T20Is will be played in Florida on August 12 and 13, respectively.
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