ICC match referees rate Kingsmead, Queen's Park Oval outfields as poor

Dubai, Aug 24 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday said the outfields at Kingsmead, in Durban, and Queen's Park Oval, at Port of Spain, have been rated as "poor" by match referees.

Andy Pycroft and Ranjan Madugalle, both from the Elite Panel of ICC match referees, in accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC pitch and outfield monitoring process, submitted their reports to the ICC, a release said.

In the report, they have expressed their concerns over the quality of the outfields for the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand, and the fourth Test between the West Indies and India, respectively.

The reports have been forwarded to Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), who now have 14 days to provide their responses, the release added.

The CSA's response will be reviewed by ICC's general manager - cricket, Geoff Allardice and Madugalle. Allardice and David Boon, also from the Elite Panel of ICC match referees, will assess the WICB's reply.

Both the matters will be decided in accordance with ICC's pitch and outfield monitoring process.

The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) has already launched an investigation into why the fourth Test match between India and West Indies had to be abandoned due to a wet outfield.

In the five-day match, only 22 overs could be played at the Queen's Park Oval due to soggy conditions following heavy rain.

The abandoning of the final match of the India-West Indies series has led to wide criticism for the failure of TTCB to ensure proper infrastructure at the venue to deal with inclement weather conditions.

India won the four Test series 2-0. But lack of action forced India to relinquish top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings to Pakistan, less than a week after taking over the position from Australia.

Rain stopped play on the first day of the match when the West Indies were 62 for two. No further play could be held over the next four days.

--IANS

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