Sport

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

West Indies assistant coach David Williams wants to see better pitches prepared throughout the region, especially with the World Twenty20 Championship looming next month.

The former West Indies wicketkeeper, who recently gave way to Ottis Gibson as head coach, said more competitive pitches are needed for the April 30 to May 16 tournament.

"Some of the pitches in the Caribbean are too slow, and for a T20 World Cup you want the ball coming on a bit more. I know a lot of preparation will take place for the World Cup, so it is my hope the pitches are much improved," said Williams, who played 11 Tests and 36 One-Day Internationals between 1988 and 1998.

Good pitches

"The pitches in St Lucia and St Vincent are pretty good and Barbados should play well. We are based in Guyana in the prelims and that pitch needs to be improved.

"I doubt they can do much with it before the tournament. The only way that turning pitch can change is to dig it out and replace it with another."

Guyana will play hosts to Group D of the tournament, where West Indies, England and Ireland will do battle to get out of the first round.

West Indies batsmen struggled on a slow, turning pitch at the National Stadium at Providence during the first two One-Day Internationals of the five-match series against Zimbabwe earlier this month.

They lost the first match chasing down 254, losing by two runs and then struggled to overhaul Zimbabwe's modest 206 before winning by four wickets.

On the faster wickets in St Vincent, West Indies comfortably overcame the African side, in posting handsome victories.

"I am not saying that you should load the pitch in favour of the batsmen. I think that there should be bounce and pace as well for the bowlers," Williams pointed out.