‘Leewards–T&T contest abandoned two days late' — Ambrose on ‘terrible’ North Sound pitch
‘They just marked the crease, put the stumps in, and that's it.’
Former West Indies fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose has described the pitch used for the 2026 West Indies Championship second-round contest between the Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force as “terrible.”
During a scathing assessment of the events that led to Leeward Islands’ Jeremiah Louis being struck on the helmet while facing pacer Jayden Seales on Tuesday’s third day, Ambrose revealed that both teams had concerns regarding the condition of the wicket heading into the game.
“That game was abandoned two days late,” Ambrose told the Mason and Guest panel. “When I arrived at the stadium on Sunday morning, I looked at the pitch and immediately had my concerns. The pitch looked like it wasn't prepared.”
Ambrose, who is currently Bowling Consultant/Selector of the Hurricanes team, says he shared his reservations about the “looks” of the surface with other members of the Hurricanes camp but admitted they “would not know for sure” until it was in use.
He says the first over of the contest, delivered by Seales, confirmed his doubts. After which, the Hurricanes “kept complaining to the authorities.”
“The second day, it got worse. I mean, trust me, it was a dangerous surface. I played on surfaces that were a little bit dicey, but this one was terrible.”
The delivery that hit Louis proved to be the final ball of the game, as play was abandoned as a draw due to “dangerous pitch conditions." Louis was subsequently taken to the hospital and released the same evening after his CT scans returned clear results.
“It took that blow for the authorities to really take us seriously,” Ambrose exasperated.
Another Leewards batter, Rahkeem Cornwall, received on-field treatment on Day 2, following a blow on the thumb, also facing up to Seales near the close of play.
Ambrose confirmed whispers that the surface in question “hadn't been used for over a year.” The first-round match-up between the Guyana Harpy Eagles and the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the same venue was played on a different strip.
“That looks like it wasn't prepared,” Amrose insisted. “To me, it looked like they just marked the crease, put the stumps in, and that was it. I am no groundsman, but I've been in world cricket long enough.”
The venue will host the championship decider from May 17 to 20, and CWI has vowed that “all necessary resources and expertise will be deployed to ensure the preparation of a safe and competitive playing surface for that fixture.”