The much-maligned square at the National Sports Centre in Bermuda hosted its first game yesterday since the country qualified for the World Cup. The once crumbling pitch has been given a new lease of life after using PVA glue – a technique in common use by groundsmen in England.

Madeiros proved reluctant to go on the record yesterday, but he did confirm that the PVA formula had been employed and that they would look to continue using it if it proved effective.

National coach Gus Logie was certainly impressed with what he saw, and has requested that tomorrow’s second match be played on the turf rather than the artificial wicket as planned. The Bermuda Cricket Board have been adamant for some time that the Island needs a facility to host ODI cricket if it is make the most of the unprecedented levels of investment.

And while there appears to have been some progress on the pitch, the North Field still lacks the surrounding infrastructure required for ODI accreditation, which the Trustees have previously stated will only become available once the long-awaited Centre Core is built.

Full story at the Royal Gazette