Cricket boss sees good side of Sunday Test start

Head of the Jamaica Cricket Association, Wilford "Billy" Heaven, does not believe the Sunday start to the first Test between West Indies and New Zealand will significantly affect attendance at the match.

The Test which will be Chris Gayle's 100th for the West Indies starts on Sunday, June 8 and ends on Thursday, June 12.

"I believe starting the match on Sunday comes with an upside as well as a downside," said Heaven.

"Starting on a Sunday, it allows for more people to come out and hopefully set the tone as it is more like a family day.

"On the other hand, however, it takes the other four days into the work week, which could prove to be a bit of a challenge. "However, given the occasion, and with Gayle being one of the centres of attraction, people may very well come out and show their support."

Gayle, regarded as one of the best batsmen of the modern era, has been a key member of the West Indies Test team since making his debut in Trinidad in 2000.

He averages 42.01 runs in the format and have so far scored 15 hundreds and 34 half-centuries.

New Zealand are scheduled to play three Tests and two Twenty20 Internationals while on tour. The second Test will be played in Trinidad at Queen's Park Oval and the third in Guyana.

The Twenty20 Inter-national series will be played at Windsor Park in Dominica.