Georgetown: South Africa and Sri Lanka will be entering new territory at the Guyana Providence Stadium on Wednesday.

The match is the first of any consequence to be played at the new stadium, outside the capital Georgetown, where workers are still battling to get everything ready for Wednesday.

Rain prevented both teams from practising on Monday and the pitch remained under cover, so the players could not make any assessment of it.

South African coach Mickey Arthur said he hoped the pitch would have more pace and bounce than Guyana’s old international ground, The Bourda in Georgetown, which was notoriously low and slow.

“We have been told by (International Cricket Council pitch consultant) Andy Atkinson that it should have reasonable bounce,” said Arthur.

If the virginity of the pitch is a cause of concern for every player now based in Guyana, there is more bad news for the teams in that thunder storms are forecast for the next eight days.

According to the website www.weather.com, the temperature in Guyana’s capital Georgetown will be around 87 F into the middle of next week and a daily downpour is expected.

The rain may have a significant impact on teams such as England, who are entering the stage without any points, as they will by pinning their hopes on beating debutants Ireland on Friday.

Ireland were unable to practise outdoors on Sunday and had to be satisfied with playing rugby on Monday at the Bourda Ground after rain prevented them from holding a nets session.

“We got here on Saturday (from Jamaica) but we haven’t been able to do much because of the weather,” Ireland coach Adrian Birrell said.

“It’s frustrating but it’s frustrating for everyone. It’s good to know that the others are also struggling to keep busy and preparing for the big games.”