Football has badly damaged the Stadium Manager at the Stadium base
Guyana’s preparation for Regional Super50 – Anand Sanasie – affected
By Sean Devers
Providence Stadium Manager Anthony Xavier
Anand Sanasie by GCB
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Kashif and Shanghai Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport cooperated to return football after sports closed since March due to a pandemic.
The Bounce Back Football tournament that included the Linden All-Stars, East Coast All-Stars, West Side All-Stars and Georgetown All-Stars, was fought at Providence Stadium, on Tuesday, Dec. 29, and New Year’s Day.
The parties involved were praised for very good work while the tournament provided plenty of entertainment for Football fans in and outside Guyana watching both local TV networks and live streaming.
The only negative aspect of the hugely successful venture was that the games were played at Providence Stadium, Guyana’s lone international cricket venue and badly damaged by the Footballers.
Guyana Cricket Secretary (GCB) Anand Sanasie is in arms that a club Football Tournament has been played in the rain at Providence Stadium built to host the 2007 Cricket World Cup Super Eight games held in March and April 2007 .
“Nowhere in the world would anyone play club football on International cricket ‘Square’ (an area where the pitches are set) in the rain. We wrote to the Stadium last week asking for permission to use it to prepare the 50-over Regional Squad with some match assimilation sessions. We have not yet received a response, ”Sanasie noted.
Chief Curator at Providence Wazim Habib Stadium
When contacted, Stadium Manager Anthony Xavier confirmed that he had received the letter of application from the GCB but noted that their application could not be granted due to the extent of the damage caused by the Footballers on the only ground in Guyana where there is senior Regional Cricket is played. .
“The six pitches on the square and almost the whole playing area on the ground, including the bowler’s runs are in terrible condition because of the Football played there in the rain,” lamented Xavier.
Xavier revealed that according to the Chief Curator at Wazim Habib Stadium, it should take at least six weeks to get the venue back to cricket maintaining a fit state.
Habib, named the best CPL 2018 Groundsman, is one of the best Curators in the West Indies and spent a year or two ago time in Christchurch and Auckland in New Zealand where he witnessed how fields get prepare them from an international perspective.
The GFF National Training Center in Providence hosted games during the Petra / KFC goodwill tournament in December 2019 and could have hosted the two-night football event while International Football has not been played at Providence Stadium since ‘ At the National Track and Field Center hosting games at CONCACAF heats in 2018 and the two-night tournament could have been played there under lights.
Providence has conducted two Tests and 22 ODIs including the historic match between Sri Lanka and South Africa at the 2007 World Cup when Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga became the first bowler in international cricket history to capture four wickets in four balls successive and the historic three Day / Night Games during Series Three 2016 featuring the West Indies, Australia and South Africa. This series represents the first time that all ODI games have been played under floodlights in the Caribbean.
Providence held its first Test match in 2008, with Sri Lanka being a visiting team and another in May 2011 when West Indies defeated Pakistan. With the advent of the Caribbean Premier League the stadium became the home of the Guyana Amazon Warriors franchise.