Warner Park under construction

That's according to Venue Development Director and Chief Operating Officer of the competition,  Don Lockerbie, who believes the standard of wickets and outfields will be comparable with the best in the world when the tournament gets under way on March 5 next year.

According to Cricket365.com, Lockerbie said: "Over the years the pitches in the West Indies have had a reputation of being not very well maintained.

People still have memories of severe drainage problems at places like Sabina Park (in Kingston, Jamaica)."

It was at Sabina Park in January 1998 that England's scheduled Test match against the Windies was abandoned after only 10 overs because of an unfit surface.

"The pitches at the World Cup will be of the finest standards. Every single outfield will be renovated, and modern drainage systems will be in operation," Lockerbie added.

"A new square will be put in at each pitch, and we are looking for the ICC to approve all of the pitches and outfields by the end of July this year.

That will allow us to "manicure" the pitches and put the finishing touches to them for the World Cup."

Six stadia, at Trinidad & Tobago (Brian Lara Stadium), St. Kitts & Nevis (Warner Park Stadium), Jamaica (Greenfield Stadium), Grenada (Queen's Park), Guyana (Providence Stadium) and Antigua & Barbuda (Sir Vivian Richards

Stadium) will be brand new for the tournament. Five others, including Sabina Park, are undergoing major revamps.

Although extensive work is being carried out on off-the-pitch facilities to cope with the influx of visitors and media officials in a year's time, Lockerbie insists that on-pitch conditions have always been top of the list of priorities.

"As far as I'm concerned, stadium design starts with the field of play. We are also making sure that the practice nets offer similar surfaces to those of the real pitches," Cricket365.com reports Lockerbie as saying.