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The translation of its name could not have been more fitting.

Beausejour is French for a lovely dwelling place and the ultra-modern Beausejour stadium, which is set to become international cricket's latest venue, is a marvellously impressive facility which some might already consider second to none in the Caribbean.

Set in 22 acres beneath the hills, the spacious stadium was a buzz of activity in the build-up for the back-to-back Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationals between West Indies and New Zealand.

The infrastructure is modern, including four stands with bucket-type seating, 18 hospitality suites and a fashionable pavilion that contains large dressing-rooms and lounges for both teams.

Its outfield, a perfect oval, is predictably lush green, giving the impression that it is suited more for golf than for cricket.

Built at a cost of EC$40 million (about BDS$32 million), the facility has earned praise from rival captains Carl Hooper and Stephen Fleming.

I am impressed. It is certainly better than what we've got in Guyana. It means that the islands are spending some money, which is good. Hooper said after a light fielding session yesterday.

The teams' preparations on the eve of the match were restricted to fielding because the planned batting practice at the Mindoo Phillip Park in Castries had to be called off because of rain in the capital city.

There are plans for two turf and two artificial practice pitches at the Beausejour Stadium, but those are yet to be put in place.

The one thing which we have to pay attention to is practice wickets, but certainly the facilities are good here, the West Indies captain added.

Fleming also spoke glowingly of the facilities on a ground that is located not far from one of the island's main tourist areas, Rodney Bay.

The ground looks very good and the outfield fantastic, the New Zealand captain said.

The outfield and playing surface are out of the top drawer appearance wise as well as usage wise. The stands look great. It is a very good facility.

When fully completed, the stadium, completely funded by the state-run St Lucia National Lotteries, will also be equipped with catering facilities and public conveniences that can be utilised outside of match days.

Its location in the north-east is an area which is supposed to one of the driest spots in the island, in comparison to Mindoo Philip Park, which was often affected by the weather when it staged regional first-class matches.

But, as fate would have it, there were a few evening showers at Beausejour yesterday evening and it was very overcast between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

After a triple washout in Kingston, Jamaica, the West Indies Cricket Board can hardly afford another abandonment for matches that are expected to attract a number of visitors from neighbouring islands.

With the series reduced to four matches, the weekend double-header can provide any side with a big advantage if they can win both matches.

If you win both games, you certainly aren't going to lose the series, Hooper said.

We want to take Saturday first. We want to try and make sure that we get onto the New Zealanders straight away, whether we bat or bowl first and start the game very positively.

The West Indies captain does not reckon that his side has a psychological over New Zealand after restricting the Black Caps to 176 in Wednesday's rain-ruined match.

Like I said before, I don't think they were as prepared as they should be. They haven't played a lot of international cricket since Pakistan, Hooper said.

They are probably now feeling their way on this tour.

Hooper revealed that Shivnarine Chanderpaul would most likely open the batting.

We were going to give it a try in Jamaica. He will probably open in this game too. It is something that we want to try and see how it works out.

If Chanderpaul goes in first, Wavell Hinds, who made 175 in a first-class match against India here five weeks ago, will slot down to No. 6.

The lack of a strenuous workout in the nets, according to Hooper, however, did have at least one positive effect.

We're trying to keep the fast bowlers as fresh as possible, he said.

It's been good in one way we haven't been able to practise, which means a lot of the lads have been able to put their legs up.

That's been good for the quicks, but for the batters, we need to keep our eye in. It's easy to lose focus and go off the boil and lose rhythm.

© The Barbados Nation