Cricket can’t help itself

So, what to make of the latest administrative debacle, which saw the 2nd Test between West Indies and England abandoned after just 10 balls on Friday?  Cricket, and here we mean the administrative side of things, has an innate ability to shoot itself in the foot as this episode demonstrates.

With West Indies showing signs of resurgence as a Test cricket force, the last thing they needed was an embarassment such as this.  With a hastily scheduled 3rd Test due to begin at the old ARG on Sunday, what will the effect be on the players focus on both teams?  And how will the wicket at the ARG play, considering that it has not hosted a test since 2006 and now lies largely derelict?

All of these questions will be answered over the coming days, and it will be interesting to see whether there are any repercussions from the ICC, who have already stated that the test status of the Sir Vivian Richards stadium is under serious threat having suffered from previous problems at the 2007 World Cup.

Obvious comparisons are being made between this and the abandoned test at Sabina Park in 1998, and this test now holds the record for the shortest test match in terms of balls bowled in the history of test cricket.