Antigua ground has suspension lifted

Antigua's Sir Vivian Richards Stadium had its 12-month suspension lifted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday and was passed fit to stage Tests and one-dayers again.

Abandoned

In February 2009 the ground was the scene of a Test match between the West Indies and England that lasted just 10 balls before being abandoned because of an outfield that was described in the ICC's report as unfit.

The ICC told the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) that the ground could not be used for international cricket for a period of 12 months and also gave the board an official warning for not preparing the ground effectively for the match.

As per ICC instructions, over the past year, appropriate work was carried out and monitored by the WICB and an inspection of the ground was carried out by Jeff Crowe of the ICC match referees panel.

David Richardson, ICC General Manager (Cricket), said: "We are content that the ground is now of sufficient standard to host international cricket again.

The remedial work has been carried out and Mr Crowe has carried out a full inspection, during which he found the ground to be of a good standard.

Hard work

"We are happy the situation has been remedied, we congratulate the ground staff on their hard work and we thank the WICB for their support and commitment in the process. This re-approval is effective immediately," said Richardson. GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Friday (AFP)