There was a mildly patronising theory doing the rounds after West Indies went 1-0 up in Barbados that the call would go out to the groundstaff of Antigua and St Lucia with instructions to kill the pitches; that somehow the best chance for Jason Holder’s side to regain the Wisden Trophy was to protect their lead with draws rather than duke it out.
Things do not quite work like that in the Caribbean. Yes, there is a central curator, Kent Crafton, who travels around the islands trying to instil best practice and encourage greater consistency. But the region’s volatile weather prevents such exact science and after a week of both scorching sun and occasional stair-rodding rain, what emerged on day one at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound was anything but a wicket designed for a stalemate.
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