NORTH SOUND, Antigua (CMC): The Vivian Richards Cricket Ground faces condemnation as a venue for international cricket.

Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive officer of the International Cricket Council (ICC), suggested that the abandonment of the second Test between West Indies and England yesterday could lead the sport's World governing body to re-classify the status of the ground.

Lorgat outlined that the ICC's Chief Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle, plus the ICC's Director of Cricket, Dave Richardson, will have to decide what sanctions will be put in place, following examination of a report from Match Referee Allan Hurst.

"I think the ultimate measure that we can adopt is that we can take away the status of the venue as a Test match ground," Lorgat told reporters yesterday.

WI may have foreseen it

"The fact that the West Indies may have foreseen something is a question that has to be put to the member board and I think we will do what we have to do in terms of the sanction for this particular venue." Lorgat admitted it was an embarrassing state of affairs, but he and the ICC would not shrink away from their responsibility and do the utmost to make sure that a Test match is staged in Antigua, particularly with a large number of British visitors paying hefty sums to travel and to attend.

wonderful lesson

"I think this is a wonderful lesson for us all and I think what we are faced with now is that we have to make the best of the situation," he said. "To the best of my understanding there is no process in place that a Test match venue is rechecked once it's accredited. As far as I am concerned, we accredit venues and the match referees report on the status of that venue after every game.

"With this example, however, we will have to tighten up on some of those procedures that we have in place. We will have to check venues in advance even though they have been previous accredited."

Lorgat agreed that the abandoned Test came at a wretched time for Test cricket, which is facing a battle to stay relevant with the advent of Twenty20 cricket.

promoting Test cricket

"We are trying to promote Test cricket ... We all hold it very dear to our hearts ... It is the pinnacle of the game," he said.

"This is not something for which we would have wished. It has come at an unfortunate time, but we will have to do what we have to do to try and get this Test match played.

"Let's recall we did our best after (the bomb attacks) in Mumbai to get a Test match played and I think the best we could do and I am pleased to say that both the West Indies Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board are very, very determined to have a Test match played, to the extent that we are prepared to shift the venue."

The Antigua Recreation Ground will host a replacement Test starting tomorrow.

The ARG hosted the last of its 21 Tests three years ago when West Indies drew with India before the VRCG replaced it ahead of the World Cup in the Caribbean a year later.

An English cricket fan folds his flag after play was abandoned in the first day of the second cricket Test match between England and the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium in St. John's, Antigua, yesterday. - AP