NORTH SOUND, Antigua (CMC) - Rather than being b****arded with a plethora of questions about what approach they will take over the next five days, West Indies and England were confronted with concerns about the state of the outfield at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground on the eve of the second Test, starting today.

For a venue that bears the name of a man that personified all that was great and glorious about cricket, the VRCG outfield has been a source of major disappointment for the Antigua & Barbuda authorities and major embarra**ment for the West Indies Cricket Board in the three years of its existence.

NORTH SOUND, Antigua - West Indies players (from left) Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Bravo relax at the end of a training session at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium yesterday ahead of the second Test match against England which starts today. (Photo: AP)

Each year, the Government of Antigua & Barbuda has promised to rectify the turf, and each year, the WICB has turned up, holding its breath, wondering what they can expect when they arrive for an international match at the venue built at a cost of US$20 million with assistance from the Chinese Government ahead of the 2007 World Cup.

Yesterday, they found an outfield that was patchy and excessively sandy - more fitting for the scores of British visitors that have descended on the island to support their national team than for the intensity of a crucial Test match.

The situation at the VRCG has not been helped by the Antigua & Barbuda Cricket Association's refusal to host regional first-class matches which would have allowed the WICB to give the ground a workout prior to the series.

Both captains put on a brave face for the media with Chris Gayle more prepared to focus on the 1-0 lead his side secured in Kingston on the back of an innings and 23-run victory.

"We're going into the game with a lot of things on our minds, so we're going to focus on what we actually have to do, and what we can control out there in the middle," Gayle told reporters.

"It could be a bit dangerous out there, and I remember in the World Cup someone got injured sliding, so the players would have to take it carefully out there."

Andrew Strauss was more concerned about trying to recover from the setback of 51 all out in the second innings which led to that result.

"I'm not concerned about the outfield. it's not in an ideal condition, but there are plenty more important things for us to be worried about than the state of the outfield, as long as we are sensible about the way we field," he said.

"It will be the same for both sides, so we're not losing a lot of sleep about it."

Gayle admitted that though his side won handsomely at Sabina Park, they have no intention of playing slack cricket or easing their foot off the throttle.