Australia, West Indies third Test in Jamaica doubtful: here's why

JAMAICA: The historic day-night Test between Australia and West Indies, scheduled to begin on July 12 at Sabina Park in Kingston, has been cast into uncertainty due to ongoing delays in stadium infrastructure upgrades, international media reported on Sunday.

According to a report, the match, which is set to be Sabina Park’s first pink-ball Test, has been overshadowed by issues relating to the installation of new floodlights and a modernised scoreboard. 

While the lighting system has now been installed following several delays, test runs revealed that one section of the field, specifically in front of the Kingston Cricket Club stand, remains inadequately illuminated. 

The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) remained optimistic that the venue will be ready in time. 

JCA President Dr. Donovan Bennett said that final adjustments are underway, though the stadium still requires formal approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC), whose officials are expected to arrive early next week for inspection.

"I'm pretty sure about that [being ready]. 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, there are unforeseen challenges, that’s exactly what happened with the lights and the scoreboard," Dr. Bennett said.

Dr. Bennett further explained that while certain areas of the field exceed international lighting standards, one problematic zone remains. 

"The English company that supplied the lights will be here on Monday with a laser beam to do the final fine-tuning."

The upgraded scoreboard and replay screen, a project financed by the Indian government, has also faced setbacks. Additional structural work was deemed necessary after the removal of the old system, contributing to the delay.

However, Cricket West Indies (CWI) remained confident that the Test will go ahead as a day-night fixture. Sabina Park is also slated to host the first two T20 Internationals of the upcoming series under lights.

To date, the Caribbean has hosted only one day-night Test, when West Indies faced Sri Lanka at Kensington Oval, Barbados in 2018.