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The chief of Windward Islands cricket is confident that the new Queen's Park cricket stadium will be afforded Test match status in a very short while.

In the aftermath of the successful staging of Wednesday's One-Day International between West Indies and Australia, Lennox John said the ground was ready for the move even though it is yet to be completed.

The ground, which has been completely transformed over the last two years with the construction of new high-quality stands, a players' pavilion, media centre and a new field, has come in for high praise from many, including John, the president of the Windward Islands' Cricket Association.

``I have no doubt with the infrastructure in Grenada plus the airport, hotels and so on, that Queen's Park will become a Test venue even as early as next year,'' he said here yesterday.

``This is going to do great for Grenada cricket to be able to see international cricket on a regular basis.''

Success story

His prediction was also made with the knowledge that the West Indies could host as many as six Test matches next season when it is expected that Pakistan and New Zealand will visit the Caribbean.

John, a Vincentian and one of the Windwards' two representatives on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), said he anticipated a Test here would also be a success story.

``I have no doubt that a Test match will be a great spin-off in terms of tourism; and in terms of the game itself, it certainly will do a lot.''

It would, he added, also speak volumes for the Windwards, who would be able to boast of two Test-playing venues. The Arnos Vale playing-field in St. Vincent had the honour of staging its first Test match during Sri Lanka's visit to the Caribbean in 1997.

``I think it will do tremendously for us with the Windwards having two of the better venues in the West Indies,'' he said, adding that Queen's Park possessed better quality stands, while Arnos Vale was known for its picturesque location.

WICB president Pat Rousseau described the ground as the best cricket facility in the Caribbean on the eve of the match. But when asked how soon he anticipated it would be able to host a Test, he was somewhat non-committal.

Too early

``I think that's too early to tell but there is always a possibility,'' he said. ``I think if the returns on the game can be repeated, it will be the best return currently of all the West Indian grounds for One-Day cricket.

``Everybody has to look to improve to get to this kind of standard.''

Wednesday's match was only the second One-Day International in Grenada and came 16 years after India played here. It attracted a capacity crowd of 15 000 and was played in an electrifying atmosphere, triggered by a cacophony of sounds that emanated throughout the match.

There was, however, crowd trouble at the start of the day, according to Kenny Hobson, a local official.

Some gates were opened later than the scheduled 6 a.m. and it led to a huge outcry in one of the uncovered stands.

``The major problem was that the patrons did not understand the system that was in place,'' Hobson said.

``Having opened a little later than was expected, we had a larger build-up than we should have. The people weren't prepared to line up and they rushed the gates so we had to allow some of them in.''

He said, however, the level of security was commendable.