The importation of foreign clay may not be the answer to cricket pitch problems at the National Sports Centre claims former West Indies star Andy Roberts, the man jointly responsible for overseeing all pitches at the recently concluded World Cup in the Caribbean.

In order to produce world class pitches, Roberts says the clay must first be ideally suited for its intended purpose, and more importantly that dedication and care must be applied to ensure both fertility and longevity.

And having toured Bermuda in 1984 with Sir Viv Richards’ Antigua, the former Windies pacer believes the Island already has the resources to combat current challenges at the NSC.

“When I was there, Bermuda had good pitches. They were better than in some Test-playing countries . . . I can tell you that. The pitches were a lot better than some of the pitches we played on in India and Pakistan,” said Roberts, speaking from Antigua yesterday.

“I played at Somerset Cricket Club, St.George’s Cricket Club and Devonshire Recreation Club and there weren’t any problems with those pitches. They may have been a bit slow, but we didn’t have any problems at all.”

In the past NSC staff have gone to great lengths to try and rectify the problem while Government even conducted an Island-wide search for the most suitable specimens of clay that were tested overseas in a lab to determine whether or not they met rigorous ICC standards.

But with all efforts having failed so far, Government is now seeking to have strict legislation prohibiting the importation of foreign clay to the Island amended in order to make progress at the Centre.

Roberts, however, believes the solution to the problem could be right here on the Island.

“I believe Bermuda may have the right clay. You have to look around to see where you have clay and then check the percentage of it. Ideally if you can have between 65 and 70 percent clay that would be good,” he said.

And the former Test bowler added that pitches worldwide are only as good as the amount of care they receive.

“I don’t know if the pitches at the National Sports Centre are being cared for on a regular basis. But this could be part of the problem because pitches have to be watered and arrogated regularly,” said Roberts, who has past experience working alongside ICC pitch expert Andy Atkinson.

“A lot of these things must be done on a regular basis because soil goes dead if you don’t take care of it. They may have to do a lot of arrogating to put some life back into the soil and also continue regular maintenance of the pitch.”

But above all, Roberts said it was paramount for ground staff to be committed to their profession. And this, he noted, could also be possibly contributing to the problem.

“All of the old people who loved pitches and took care of them like they did their garden have all passed on while the young ones today are only there to collect the money — they don’t like to work,” the legendary pace bowler argued.

“Preparing pitches is hard work and you have to dedicate yourself to the pitch. But young people do not like to work hard.”

Roberts said the implementation of good cricket pitches was central to the development of the game in any country — especially for those possessing ODI status such as Bermuda.

“Bermuda has a lot of work to do and it is important they get something going,” Roberts added. “It is very, very important to have good cricket pitches otherwise you just cannot develop good players.”