"What you will find is a lot of brand new pitches,"
he said. "For the first game or so they may be
slow. That will not be the case right through. At some
venues it will have even bounce, some will also have
a lot of carry."
Roberts has been busy supervising the
preparation of pitches all over the Caribbean for the
World Cup, coordinating with Andy Atkinson, the ICC's
pitch consultant. When asked for his impression of the
relaid wickets, Roberts said that the surfaces in the
Kensington Oval in Barbados and the Sir Viv Richards
Stadium in Antigua were sporting in nature. However,
he expressed caution over the new surface in Guyana,
given its location in the South American mainland, unlike
the other host nations.
"The wicket in Barbados has been
playing fairly well in the practice games. There have
been lots of runs. The bounce and carry has been good.
Antigua too has a new pitch and if it has been prepared
according to the specifications then you might see the
same thing there.
"The only one I am worried about
is Guyana. It doesn't have the same type of clay as
other countries. It may surprise us because it is a
new pitch."
Pitches in the West Indies have slowed
down over the years, offering plenty of assistance to
the slower bowlers as India observed last year during
their tour. However, he felt that the region had come
for some unfair criticism.
"In the Champions Trophy too you
had some bad pitches. Most pitches around the world
have slowed down."
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