Guyana’s pitch a cause for concern

Despite concern regarding the pitch and field, officials on the

ICC Venue Tour have applauded the work of Guyana’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) at Providence Stadium.

ICC CWC 2007 Venue Development Director, Don Lockerbie, expressed satisfaction with the work done so far but made no bones about the state of the pitch and outfield during the November 16, 2006 tour, stressing that component has some way to go.{{more}}

He added that the best expertise in Guyana and the region will be utilised to get the field “green, hard and fast”.

Chris Dehring, Managing Director and CEO of ICC CWC 2007, marvelled that “what was but a cane-field at the Providence site two-and-a-half years ago, has become a fantastic stadium” but said there was still a lot to be done.

In terms of accommodation, Dehring said he is confident that Guyana will meet its requirements. He said the completion of Buddy’s International Hotel is important. That project is aiming for a year-end opening which he is confident it will achieve. To date, Dehring added, a thousand rooms in Guyanese homes have been registered for the tournament’s Bed and Breakfast programme.

More than 30 persons made up the ICC Venue Tour contingent that visited Guyana representing key areas and stakeholders, including Media and Broadcast, Pitch and Field, Cricket Operations, Sponsors, Venue Development and the ICC.