Test lasts just 10 balls at the ground built on sand

Amid scenes of confusion and inevitability the Antiguan Test match was called off yesterday after 10 balls. By then it was obvious that the bowlers' run ups at both ends were hopelessly unfit for purpose and probably dangerous.

In truth, it was merely confirmation of what had been plain the day before and for many months before that. The Sir Viv Richards Ground, built only two years ago, should never have been sanctioned for this or any other match.

Although the umpires officially abandoned play between the West Indies and England only for the first day and perfunctory efforts were made to dig up the run-ups and rebuild them, the idea of resuming the match at the ground was risible.

After urgent discussions between administrators from the International Cricket Council and both countries' cricket boards the match was moved to the Antigua Recreation Ground. The second Test will start again there on Sunday.

The irony of this is deep and unmistakable and it is clearly a risk considering the last international was staged at the ARG three years ago. Although the scene of the highest innings in Test history, it was considered outmoded when the World Cup was held in the West Indies two years ago. Hence the new ground, built on sand in the middle of nowhere.

When England first saw the outfield the previous day, they recognised immediately that the surface was unsatisfactory. So grave were their concerns that Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, wrote a formal letter to the match referee Alan Hurst the previous night setting out their objections.

It was the second time that a Test match between England and West Indies had been stopped on the first day because of fears about players' safety. Eleven years ago in Kingston, the first Test was abandoned after 10 overs because the pitch was ridged and posed a threat to batsmen's bodies.

On this occasion it was the bowlers who suffered. The insurmountable problem is that the ground, constructed with funds from the Chinese government, is built on sand. It was unsatisfactory then and it has become discernably worse since the outfield was relaid late last year.

As soon as the umpires made their decision England made it plain that they wanted the match to be staged, and in Antigua if possible. With up to 8,000 English fans in the country specifically for the match, they were eager to ensure they got what they paid for.

Giles Clarke, the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, made an immediate intervention by asking if the match could be relocated. The Stanford Cricket Ground was ruled out because the pitches there have been untended since November, but the ARG is still used occasionally and England practiced there this week.

In the immediate aftermath, with officials moving hither and thither and shifting nervously on both feet as they were equally quickly shifting blame, the England captain Andrew Strauss had pertinent observations to make. "Nobody feels more than we do for the spectators that have come out here," he said. "They have got every right to feel disappointed. We're trying to do everything we can to mingle with them and try and make them feel better but the game of cricket doesn't need this, it's as simple as that."

Strauss recalled watching the 1998 game in Jamaica on television. "I was in a pub with some friends and had just got my first pint in when the match was called off. It was very disappointing. From a fans' point of view I can appreciate what people are thinking. It's just not right that Test matches can be abandoned and lessons need to be learned. You don't think this has happened overnight so there must have been a time where there were concerns about it."

If the blame lay directly with the West Indies Cricket Board, who are responsible for staging the match, the ICC hardly come well out of the mess. The board should have known that the ground was inadequate, but the ICC, if it were a proper governing body, should have been aware of the difficulties.

Match referee Alan Hurst saw what everybody else saw earlier. But he refused to discuss the issue the day before the match and his only comment was that the ground was unsatisfactory but not unfit.

Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, was quite clear where the fault lay. "It's not good enough. We have to make sure in the future we try and avoid it," he said. "It's the West Indies Cricket Board's responsibility. It is their responsibility to ensure that the ground is fit for play. They are trying to do everything possible to fix the problem and are accepting of their responsibility."

England fans were understandably seething. Chris Beal, a farmer from North Yorkshire, had paid £2,000 to spend a week in the country watching the second Test. "We're here to watch cricket and it doesn't seem too much to ask," he said. Another Yorkshireman, Michael Mitchell has spent nearly £40,000 on a five-week cruise taking in the first three matches of the series. "I'm not surprised because it's indicative of the whole complex here," he said.

England, who had earlier dropped Ian Bell and Stephen Harmison for Owais Shah and James Anderson respectively, were 7 without loss when the game was called off. Jerome Taylor bowled the first over but came round the wicket after two balls. Fidel Edwards bowled the second over, which was halted after two balls for rain. The players came back but Edwards was clearly struggling to run through the sand. After bowling two balls at half-pace he made two attempts to bowl a third before throwing the ball at the wicketkeeper in frustration. Sir Viv Richards in whose honour this ground was built, said, "It was like an arrow to the heart". It was an arrow to the heart of cricket as well.

The punters view England fans left to count the cost

*Speaking at the ground, England fan David Bell from Hartlepool said he and his partner had spent £6,000 on their trip to Antigua. "I am not best pleased. I am not sure what the groundsman has been doing this past week, has he been on holiday like us?" he said. "I only found out [about the umpires' decision] from the internet on my phone."

*The farce at the SVR was met with highly critical blogs on the cricinfo site. "As a West Indian, I am mortified and enraged. More so because this ground has been a disaster from the very start," said Caribbean Lionesse. "Just what Test cricket needed," added Bhattu. "I'm sure England fans would take the 51-run capitulation over this." However, one poster could see the bright side: "When was the last time two English openers batted through a day's play?" asked Sutton Coldfield CC.

Problems at SVR Grounds for concern

Little has gone right for the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium since it was completed at a cost of $60m (£41m) for the 2007 World Cup. There were complaints about the location of the ground compared to the more accessible Recreation Ground in the centre of St John's. It hosted six games during the World Cup, but problems with the pitch's drainage were immediately obvious.

This came to a head when the SVR staged its first Test against Australia in May 2008. Play on the fourth day was delayed for five hours by large pools of water on the outfield despite the ground being bathed in sunshine. "Antigua's reputation hit rock-bottom amidst farcical scenes at its new stadium," thundered Wisden. Sadly, bearing in mind yesterday's events, it still had a way to fall.