NORTH SOUND, Antigua (CMC):

Rather than being bombarded with a plethora of questions about what approach they will take over the next five days, West Indies and England were confronted with concerns about the state of the outfield at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground (VRCG) on the eve of the second Test, starting today.

For a venue that bears the name of a man that personified all that was great and glorious about cricket, the VRCG outfield has been a source of major disappointment for the Antigua & Barbuda authorities and major embarrassment for the West Indies Cricket Board in the three years of its existence.

Each year, the Government of Antigua & Barbuda has promised to rectify the turf, and each year, the WICB has turned up, holding its breath, wondering what they can expect when they arrive for an international match at the venue, built at a cost of US $20 million with assistance from the Chinese Government, ahead of the 2007 World Cup.

Excessively sandy

Yesterday they found an outfield that was patchy and excessively sandy - more fitting for the scores of British visitors that have descended on the island to support their national team than for the intensity of a crucial Test match.

Both captains put on a brave face for the media with Chris Gayle more prepared to focus on the 1-0 lead his side secured in Kingston on the back of an innings and 23-run victory.

"We are going into the game with a lot of things on our minds, so we are going to focus on what we actually have to do, and what we can control out there in the middle," Gayle told reporters.

"It could be a bit dangerous out there, and I remember in the World Cup someone got injured sliding, so the players would have to take it carefully out there."

Setback

Andrew Strauss was more concerned about trying to recover from the setback of 51 all out in the second innings which led to that result.

"I am not concerned about the outfield ... It's not in an ideal condition, but there are plenty more important things for us to be worried about than the state of the outfield, as long as we are sensible about the way we field," he said.

"It will be the same for both sides, so we are not losing a lot of sleep about it."

Gayle admitted that though his side won handsomely at Sabina Park, they have no intention of playing slack cricket or easing their foot off the throttle.

"We have good momentum going into the game, but we are not going into the match too relaxed or overconfident," he said.

"We still have three matches left in this series, so this game is very important, and we can expect the England team to rebound strongly and try to make some sort of statement."

Gayle is well aware that consistency is still a bug for his side and recalled that in South Africa two years ago, West Indies similarly won the opening Test, but lost the Test series 2-1. He wants to avoid a repeat.

"Everyone is aware of what's happening and what they have to do," he said. "I don't think it is my responsibility to walk around and keep reminding players what their responsibilities are.

"Everyone has got to know their own game, and should know how they need to adapt, so it should be easy for me to go out there and get the job done.

"This Test series is very huge, very huge. This would mean a lot to us if we actually win the Test series after the way we played in New Zealand. To come back to the Caribbean and beat a strong opponent like England would be superb."

England too, understood how crucial it is for them to win the second Test. Another defeat would give West Indies an unassailable lead in the series, and end their nine-year dominance of the Caribbean side.

There are reasons for England to be hopeful that they can rebound. West Indies have not won consecutive matches in the last 10 years - barring back-to-back wins over Bangladesh seven years ago.

As Gayle noted, West Indies also outplayed South Africa in Port Elizabeth two years ago, and still lost.

Both sides are expected to reflect some changes.

West Indies have brought left-handed all-rounder Ryan Hinds and utility player Lendl Simmons into their 14-member squad, and will have to decide how to accommodate them, since only one place has opened up in the batting, following the omission of Xavier Marshall.

Squads:

West Indies (from): Chris Gayle (captain), Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Ryan Hinds, Brendan Nash, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor.

England (from): Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook (vice captain), Tim Ambrose, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann.

Umpires: Daryl Harper, Tony Hill, TV Replays: Rudi Koertzen, Reserve: Norman Malcolm. Match referee: Alan Hurst.