Sabina Park lights need approval ahead of third Test, which is scheduled to be the first Day-Night test in Jamaica.
Lights for Sabina Park day-night Test need final approval.
Last-minute preparations are being made for Sabina Park’s first day-night Test match when Australia visits next week.
The installation of the new floodlights had been delayed initially; they were supposed to be finished by May, then early this year. Additionally, during recent test events, it was discovered that one section of the playing area, in front of the Kingston Cricket Club stand, was not adequately lit.
When officials come next week, the facilities will require final ICC approval, but the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) is still optimistic that the ground will be prepared for the third Test on July 12. The Indian government-funded scoreboard and replay screen upgrade has also been delayed after it was discovered that further work was required after the older structure was taken down.
“I’m pretty sure about that [being ready],” JCA president Dr Donovan Bennett told the Jamaica Observer last week. “I’m a little bit uneasy because I would have hoped that everything would have been completed by now but when you’re doing construction, as you go along there are a lot of unforeseen circumstances that you’re challenged with which will push you back and that’s exactly what has happened with the lights and the scoreboard.
“But we’re on target, I’m confident that we’ll be okay with both the lighting and the scoreboard for the 12th, when the games are scheduled, I’m sure we’ll be okay.”
Bennett added: “Certain areas of the field are way above the international requirements but there’s one area that we need to work on to get it up…the English, who supplied the lights, they will be coming in on the seventh [Monday] with a laser beam to do the final fine-tuning.”
Cricket West Indies is certain that the game can be played as a day-night Test. Additionally, the first two T20I series matches are scheduled to take place at the venue under lights.
The only other time the Caribbean has hosted a day-night Test match was in 2018, when Sri Lanka visited Barbados. Given that every home summer match includes a pink-ball match, Australia has played comfortably the most, winning 12 of its 13 day-night Test matches with the only loss coming against the West Indies at the Gabba last year.