West Indies vs India 2016: Play called off for Day 4 as drainage facilities come under the scanner at Queen's Park Oval
The fourth day of the fourth and final Test between India and West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval has been called off despite strong sunshine greeting the officials at the start of the day.
The inability of the drainage system present at the venue has been called into serious question following the fracas with the groundsmen resorting to digging out the outfield to help evaporate the moisture but it was not enough as the match officials decided there was no possibility of a ball being bowled on the penultimate day of the match.
Pictures showing the pathetic state of the outfield quickly went viral on social media sites like Twitter with many expressing shock at the methods the groundsmen had to resort to in their attempt at getting the ground in shape for any possibility of the match taking place.
Only 22 overs have been possible in the match so far which is a dead rubber of sorts with India having already secured the series 2-0 after victories at Antigua and St Kitts. West Indies were batting at 66/2 at lunch on Day 1 when the weather interrupted as predicted before the match and despite the skies clearing off for the majority of the remaining matchdays, the inefficient drainage facilities has denied any chance of play.
With only a day remaining, the match will in all likelihood end in a draw and though India's trophy is well and truly intact, failure to beat the hosts will mean that Virat Kohli’s side will relinquish the No 1 Test team ranking that they had achieved only recently when Sri Lanka completed a 3-0 whitewash against Steven Smith’s Australia.
With Pakistan earning a thrilling 2-2 draw with hosts England in the recently concluded four-match Test series, Misbah-ul-Haq’s side had jumped to 111 points, just 1 behind India who currently sits at 112 points.
A draw at the Queen’s Park Oval would, however, mean that the Men in Blue will drop two points, thus allowing their arch-rivals their first ever shot at the World No 1 ranking since the official rankings were introduced in 2003.