CASTRIES (St Lucia), May 20: The Pakistan cricketers are facing travelling and logistics problem on their current tour of the West Indies. While West Indies squad flew into this capital city after half an hour flight from St Vincent, the visitors’ flight first travelled to Bridgetown in Barbados before returning to St Lucia three hours later with some of their baggage missing.
Asad Mustafa, the Pakistan team assistant manager, said, the team’s problems were compounded when they were informed that there was no gym in the hotel as players wanted to have some light training indoors because of showers.
There was no room service at the hotel where both teams are lodged.
Luggage of former West Indies off-spinner Lance Gibbs and some members of media was also misplaced while coming on the short flight from St Vincent.
The baggage was located later in the evening after hassle of filling in a lot of forms and giving the shape of bags and their keys to Caribbean Star Airlines for customs inspections.
In the background of this scenario and with the 16 team competing in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies and millions of fans expected in the Caribbean for the matches, it will be a gigantic exercise for the West Indies Cricket Board to put things in place to avoid controversies.
Poor media arrangements and lack of computers, internet facilities and absence of scorer proved to be the main hurdle in covering the opening one-day game in St Vincent on Wednesday.—APP
