38 years ago the match was over in 62 balls, the shortest test in history
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Whenever the worst pitches in the history of cricket are discussed, the name of the 1998 Jamaica Test comes at the top. The first Test match played between West Indies and England at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica took a turn that no one had imagined. This was the first time in the 121-year history of Test cricket that a match had to be canceled shortly after the start of the game due to the dangerous condition of the pitch.
38 years ago, the Test match at Sabina Park ground ended after just 62 balls.
New Delhi. There is a picture associated with every date which has some story behind it. The day of January 29, 1998 is recorded as a dark chapter in the golden history of cricket. The first Test match played between West Indies and England at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica took a turn that no one had imagined.
This was the first time in the 121-year history of Test cricket that a match had to be canceled shortly after the start of the game due to the dangerous condition of the pitch. On the morning of the match, when England captain Mike Atherton won the toss and decided to bat first, he had no idea that the next few minutes would be like a nightmare for his batsmen.
Creepy start and dangerous pitch
When the English batsmen came on the field, they were faced with the world's most lethal fast bowlers like West Indies' Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. The condition of the pitch was very unbalanced. At some places there was green grass and at other places there were deep cracks. As soon as the game started, the ball started behaving strangely. After hitting the pitch, the balls of Ambrose and Walsh would sometimes come straight towards the faces (eyes) of the batsmen at lightning speed, and sometimes would remain below the knees. This 'dual nature' of the pitch created fear in the minds of the batsmen.
Injured batsman and umpires' intervention
In just 10.1 overs of play, England's batsmen were left with countless marks of balls on their bodies. Even experienced players like Alec Stewart and Mike Atherton failed to understand the bounce of the ball. By the time 3 wickets for 17 runs fell on the score board, the situation was out of control. England's physio had to run on the field again and again. Match umpires Steve Buckner and Srinivas Venkataraghavan felt that the pitch was unfit to play on and could prove to be a major threat to the lives of the players. After discussion with West Indies captain Brian Lara, the match was stopped and eventually the match was officially declared abandoned.
stir in the cricket world
This incident was not just the cancellation of a match, but was a symbol of the failure of cricket administration. This pitch of Sabina Park was rebuilt some time before the match, but it was not completely 'set'. The cracks on the pitch were so deep that the ball was changing its direction and speed unpredictably as soon as it landed there. This incident at Sabina Park forced ICC to take strict measures regarding the standards and safety rules of pitches. Even today, whenever the worst pitches in cricket history are discussed, the name of the 1998 Jamaica Test comes at the top.
