Providence square being re-laid

Guyana’s only international cricket venue, the Guyana National Stadium located at Providence, East Bank Demerara is currently undergoing a face lift.

Presently, the six pitches located on the square of the cricket field have all been dug up and fresh pitches are expected to be laid over te next two weeks.

Since the inaugural game, back in March 2007 when the stadium featured a World Cup match between Sri Lanka and South Africa, the pitch was the topic of much criticism for being too slow and low.

When Guyana Times Sport visited the Stadium, workers were seen laying dirt on the square. Head curator, Wazim Habib explained the progress made on the pitch and the vision the management has for the ground.

“We started about three weeks ago by digging up the square. We found it had a lot of sand, about five to six inches.” Habib said.

Habib added that the works should be completed in the next two weeks since the hardest part of the work has already been done.

He explained that a bed of crushed stone has been added to make it firmer and the main focus now is to get the earth back in the hole and set it to a level after which grass will be replanted over the pitch.

The overall outcome is to have a pitch that mirrors the practice pitches which provide a better bounce and slower deterioration rate when compared to its previous state.

Habib went on to say that while Guyana has the slow pitch, the outfield is one of the fastest drying fields in the world and if the works done on the pitch are to exceed expectations Guyana has the potential to be one of the most sought after grounds in the Caribbean.

Additionally, the works is expected to produce a consistent bounce and carry much to the likeness of both batsmen and bolwers.

Assistant Manager of the National Stadium, Mahinder Ghansham explained that this is not the only work that is being done at the stadium.

Ghansham went into detail stating that the stadium is also undergoing a repainting job to the exterior of the stands since this will not only add to the beauty of the buildings but make it easier for persons to identify their rightful stand based on the fact all of the exterior walls were white.

Similarly, some additional minor repairs are being done such as grill work and refurbishing of a number of seats. The project is expected to be complete in time to facilitate Guyana’s hosting of West Indies Cricket Board’s regional first class season which bowls of in November. The first match to be hosted in the new season is expected to be on November 11.

This renovation comes at a time when the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board as well as the Queen’s Park Oval Cricket Board had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the fourth and final test between West Indies and India after only one day’s rain and the other five days being called off. As a result India had lost the opportunity to move into the number one ranking spot, if they could have secured a victory, subsequently leading to Pakistan progressing to the number one spot.

The pitches at Providence are renowned for its spin friendly conditions that usually lead to a low scoring affair.

The Providence stadium has a capacity of 15,000, making it one of the largest in the region.

It also is the home ground for the Guyana Amazon Warriors team in the Caribbean Premier League.

Only Sri Lanka has managed to break the 400-run mark at the world recognized ground all the way back in 2008. It is no surprise that the likes of Sunil Narine and Saeed Ajmal, both off spinners and former number one bowlers have impressive figures at Providence.