Play on the first day of the second Test between the West Indies and England was abandoned on Friday soon after the start because umpires deemed the sandy outfield was unplayable.Play started with England batting but only 1.4 overs were bowled before play stopped, with bowlers complaining they could not keep their footing on the outfield, which is made up of a thick layer of sand in parts.Match officials at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium said play was abandoned for the day while alternatives — including the possibility of moving the match to a different venue — are considered.Another alternative is to shift the match to the nearby Antigua Recreation Ground, although moving the fixture to Barbados appears most likely."The bowlers are having problems with their footings," match referee Alan Hurst said. "They were having trouble getting any traction at all. The umpires have agreed with that. It is a health hazard for the players."Play has been abandoned for the day as the ground is unfit."The surface at the ground was re-laid last autumn and the grass has not grown back sufficiently since, which led to huge volumes of sand being spread on to the outfield."I don't think there was any doubt there was a problem before we came here with the sand on the ground but everyone thought it was OK," Hurst said. "No one had bowled on the wicket to test it out. It would have been jumping the gun to say it was unfit before the start of play."In the long run we have to look at the health and safety of the players."It re-awoke memories of England's first Test against the West Indies in January 1998, which was abandoned after less than an hour's play — becoming the first test in history to be called off because of the state of the pitch.
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