ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Sir Andy Roberts said the government in his native Antigua & Barbuda should have purchased the Sticky Wicket Ground on its own.
The West Indies fast bowling legend said the government made a mistake when it purchased the venue – formerly owned by convicted American fraudster Allen Stanford – jointly with the West Indies Cricket Board.
Sir Andy said the government should have bought the property solely and leased it to the regional governing body, while using it as a key plank in the development of the game in the two-island state through its national academy programme.
“That would have been the best place to house the Four Knights Academy,” said Sir Andy.
“If the WICB wants to use the facilities, then so be it, but I do not think that the WICB should have owned that place because we need somewhere to develop our players.
“We have nowhere to develop our players at the moment. You can’t overuse the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground where you have three practice pitches and you can’t use them for more than a week hence, you need other areas with practice facilities.”
The Gaston Browne-led administration announced that it would underwrite 50 per cent of the estimated US $6 million purchase price for the property.