Antiguan Debacle

Just in case you had any doubts that cricket is the worst-run sport in the world, further proof comes from today’s farce in Antigua. Even by cricket’s lofty standards this is a disgraceful shambles. England were embarrassed in Jamaica; the entire sport is embarrassed by this nonsense. Ian Botham has just recommended moving the game to the Recreation Ground, arguing, quite correctly, that “you can’t ignore the paying public”. Except of course, ignoring the paying public is the game’s administrators’ standard operating procedure. 

UPDATE: As ToryLion says, if the pitch is unsafe it’s unsafe. Fair enough. But they have had weeks, if not months to sort this out. And it’s not as though there aren’t alternative arrangements that could have been made well in advance of today’s debacle.