Those responsible for the upkeep of Sabina Park have pledged to investigate the circumstances which restricted play to just beyond 60 overs over the opening two days of the regional four-day match between Jamaica Scorpions and Windward Islands Volcanoes.

On Friday and again yesterday, gentle rainfall interrupted play. But many familiar with the venue were left flummoxed by the severe wet spots which meant umpires could not sanction a restart even hours after the showers had stopped.

Very little sunlight over two overcast days at the venue has also been a contributing factor.

Anthony Walter, property manager of Sabina Park, said the immediate priority is to have as much play as possible.

“We are going to investigate to see if there is anything we are not aware of, but the first thing we are trying to do is to get the game going and then we can try to figure out what is causing the problem,” he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Several times ground staff feverishly brought on bags of sand to spread over the areas of concern. On Friday, only 36 overs were possible on a day scheduled to last 90 overs.

Yesterday morning, play was scheduled to begin at 9:30 — 30 minutes earlier than the usual start time — but despite only light, intermittent drizzle, the first ball of the day was not bowled until 2:35 pm.

O’neil Cruickshank, the operations manager at the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), noted that the Sabina Park outfield has a history of drying relatively quickly, even after heavy showers.

He refused to give his opinion as to possible causes of the drainage problem. But Cruickshank said the JCA will be seeking audience with Sabina Park Holdings Limited, the entity responsible for the cricket venue and its facilities.

“The JCA is disappointed with how things have turned out because we have, in the past, seen better performance from the outfield at Sabina Park. All we have had are squalls and we are seeing different performance from the outfield.

“Indications are that something is going on that’s affecting the field’s recovery from any kind of downpour. The maintenance programme at Sabina has to be looked at. What we are seeing is not the norm and not how it usually performs, so something is amiss. But for me to put any reason would be mere speculation.

“The JCA will actually have to engage Sabina Park Holdings because we can’t allow this to continue. Sabina Park is an international venue and an iconic venue,” the JCA cricket operations manager told the Observer.

It is understood that the drainage issue could lie on the surface and/or deeper at the seepage level. Sources have suggested that one possibility is that dead grass or other organic material at the surface level could be reducing water drainage.

A new outfield was laid down at Sabina Park in time for hosting of games for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Since then, the drainage system was regarded as being of a high standard.

Checks by the Observer revealed that maintenance of the outfield is to be done every year, but the last such exercise at Sabina Park was approximately two years ago.

Walter also declined to comment on possible causes of the drainage issue, but said Sabina Park Holdings has scheduled field maintenance to be carried out between Christmas 2016 and March 2017.

During that period, Sabina Park is not expected to host any major events and that time will allow for work on the outfield and subsequent recovery.

“We intend to do maintenance in December in preparation for the international season next year and we hope to have the field at optimum performance level as we have done for the last two years,” Walter assured.

West Indies are set to entertain touring Pakistan next year, and Sabina Park is a likely candidate to host games.

— Sanjay Myers