The National Sports Centre has been deemed unfit to host international cricket — again.

A letter sent to the Bermuda Cricket Board by the International Cricket Council said the wicket at North Field was “not up to standard ... and at times was dangerous”.

The letter was prompted by playing conditions during the ICC Americas Under-17 tournament held in Bermuda in August and the ICC said that future tournaments would depend on it receiving “written assurance from the BCB that the pitch is of international quality.”

According to the ICC, stadium officials said the lack of cricket that was played at the ground largely contributed to the poor state of the wicket.

“Having spoken to the curator at National Stadium I understand he has a challenge of not having much cricket played on the pitch which means it is very hard for him to learn more about how the pitch is playing and adjust its management techniques to ensure a better, more consistent surface,” Tom Evans, the ICC Americas high performance consultant, wrote.

For the situation to change the ICC “expect demonstrable proof [of improvement] through regular cricket being played there.”

It is the playing of regular cricket at the ground that is at the heart of the matter, with the Bermuda Cricket Board, alongside many other national sports teams, struggling to pay the rates the NSC charges for the facilities.

A day’s rent can run into several thousand dollars, with hourly rates running from $150 and up. For regular cricket to the played at the ground, the BCB’s bill could easily run into thousands of dollars, something not many national sports, who have seen their budgets cut every year, can afford.

The issue for the NSC is that they have to pay staff to run the facility, and the grant they receive from Government does not cover the cost of doing so.

“It really boils down to a matter of cost,” Sean Tucker, the NSC Board of Trustees chairman, said.

“We can’t do it for free, because we have to pay our staff. We can’t give it away, we can’t subsidise events, that’s not our role.

“We do get a grant, but the grant is not sufficient to sustain us for the year, we have to raise funds to operate. So, that’s why we have to charge fees, we charge fees to everyone who uses the facility.”

It is not the first time the ICC has been critical of the playing surface at North Field, in 2004 the wicket was said to be “more suitable for growing carrots on” by Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant.

There have also been concerns over the local soil, with officials from both the BCB and the NSC saying in 2007 it was not good enough to produce wickets of an international standard.

Government eventually imported soil in a controversial attempt to solve the problem, something the BCB said was “music to their ears” but a decision which the then-opposition United Bermuda Party called “disgraceful”.

Still, there have been issues with the wicket since then, with regular complaints about its ability to withstand prolonged spells of cricket, and the prodigious amount of turn it produces from the first ball also a cause for concern.