KEY POINTS:
It's not only life in the Caribbean that's pedestrian-paced these days - the newly laid World Cup pitches are proving about as laidback as the locals.
The new pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua was sluggish, the one at Georgetown's Providence Stadium almost went backwards, and the virgin surface at Grenada's Nation Stadium proved so slow on Friday that a batsman could - if he felt so inclined - have had a quick cigarette before having to play a shot.
New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming doubtless had this on his mind when he opted to bat first the other day against Sri Lanka, just as he did against Bangladesh at Antigua, only to watch forlornly as his side failed to capitalise on the conditions.
With six games scheduled at the Grenada stadium in the space of 11 days, the three designated strips are certain to become slower as the round progresses, a trend that will almost certainly convince most sides to bowl last if they have the option.
For all that, New Zealand coach John Bracewell has shied away from criticising the conditions, saying instead that the toss often played a significant role throughout the world, and it was up to the respective teams to adapt.
"I think we were all surprised about how slow that one was against Sri Lanka," said Bracewell, "and how little it did for such a short period of time - which has been slightly against the trend of the tournament.
"It shaped for only about an over and a half and then it became a matter of holding the ball across the seam and changing the pace from that point on."
Bracewell said the difference between this World Cup and many others was that the cricket was being played in eight different nations and, as a result, the pitches were slightly different, though all leaning towards the slow side.
The only slight variation was due to the 9.30am starts, which sometimes meant a pitch would lend itself to the seam and swing merchants briefly, before settling down into a slow-paced but reasonable batting surface.
That trend was highlighted by Ireland's win over Pakistan and Bangladesh's win over South Africa, not to mention India's massive bungle in the group phase, when they won the toss against Bangladesh and for some reason opted to bat first.
Since then, however, the pitches have leaned towards a bowl-last scenario, something Fleming recognised against Sri Lanka - only to watch as his side were bundled out for 219 for seven before eventually losing by six wickets.
"They're little mini-competitions at each venue because the wickets change their character a little bit as they're used," said Bracewell. "A lot of games are going to be played on these wickets.
"Here, over 12 days, we're using just three wickets so there's going to be a lot of repeated use and they're going to get slower and slower and slower."
But that didn't mean the local organising committee or ground authorities had anything to worry about.
"I think it's the nature of one-day cricket in a lot of the places where you play these days," he said.
"Seventy per cent of the games that are played in England are reliant on the toss.
"It's got more to do with your adaptability and I think we've got the flexibility within our side to cope with the toss, whereas some other teams haven't.
"With a good balance between spinners, medium pace, cutters and genuine pace we have more flexibility as well as depth in batting, and can lessen the odds of a toss having an undue influence.
"Apart from that, we've got a captain who doesn't win it often."
Fleming echoed the sentiments of his coach, saying it was clear that there was a preferred option at the toss, but that the dryness and slowness of the wickets wasn't necessarily translating into a match-deciding advantage.
"I don't think so," he said. "They're all still playable till the end.
"What I don't like is when for 10 overs it goes all over the place and then it flattens out - I would much rather have a pitch that's slow and getting slower. These ones still give you a chance, whereas on the green seamer it's basically unfair."
