West Indies board to blame for Antigua farce

	The responsibility for ensuring the delivery of a venue fit for the purpose of international cricket rested with the host member board © Getty Images

The West Indies Cricket Board was responsible for the shambles of the abandoned Test at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium, according to the ICC chief executives' committee. The announcement came after the second day of their meeting in Johannesburg.

The executive committee reconfirmed that the responsibility for ensuring the delivery of a venue fit for the purpose of international cricket rested with the host member board. Until now, the WICB has been reluctant to accept that it and not the local board was at fault for not ensuring the venue was up to standard.

The committee recommended that from now on all boards would be required to notify the ICC in February of each year the identity of all venues they intended to use for international matches in the following 12 months. This would need to be accompanied by a declaration that the grounds were up to standards already agreed by the ICC.

With regards to the outfield in Antigua, this is currently the subject of an ICC investigation and the WICB has been asked to submit its own report. The ICC has the power to impose a sanction ranging from a warning or a fine up to a suspension of international status for the venue.