Third ODI abandoned without a ball bowled
Guyana Chronicle
April 26, 2004

Related Links: Articles on English Tour 2004
Letters Menu Archival Menu


ENGLAND'S third one-day international against West Indies was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Yesterday’s washout followed Saturday's deluge when just 16 overs of play were possible before the second match was called off with West Indies 57-2.

Around 28 000 persons had turned up expecting to see at least one game of cricket, but their hopes were dashed.

Such heavy rain in late April is not characteristic of the Caribbean climate.

The fourth match of seven in a series -- England lead 1-0 -- is scheduled to take place in Grenada on Wednesday. But the forecast for there and for the following two matches in St Lucia is hardly optimistic.

Of the last five one-day internationals England had been scheduled to complete there has been a result in only one of them, after two washed-out days in Colombo last November and a rain-shortened affair in Guyana last Sunday.

England captain Michael Vaughan said: "The rain has spoilt it for everyone and no one is more disappointed than the players - we want to play games of cricket, but the weather is just not allowing us to.

"We now have four to play in seven days which is a lot, but we haven't played a game for a week and a half so we'll just have to practise indoors and hopefully the weather will be better in Grenada.

Vaughan needs the inexperienced members of his squad to be tested to the full, especially following on from their limited cricket in Sri Lanka.

He said: "We're not learning about the players which is very disappointing.

"It would have been ideal to have played all the games because by now we would have had an idea of how much we've improved in a year or what areas of concern we have."

Computer games fill up some of the down time in the West Indies.

"There are plenty of things to do around here," said Vaughan.

"There is plenty of good TV, some of the boys have been playing Playstation but we all want to be playing cricket and we're not getting the opportunity to do so.” (BBC Sport)