Everybody is bemoaning the rain that has played spoilsport in the ongoing ICC World Cup in England. The abandoned match between India and New Zealand was the fourth washed out game of the tournament. As per World Cup statisticians, the tournament, since its inception in 1975, has seen only two matches being abandoned without even toss taking place. This year, so far, three matches in 18 have been abandoned without a ball being bowled. One match (South Africa versus West Indies) was called off because of rain after just 7.3 overs.
The Trent Bridge ground where India and New Zealand were to play today, has been absorbing incessant rain over the past three days. While the square was covered, the outfield was left uncovered. According to former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, the England Cricket Board and local counties could have prevented washouts had they covered the whole ground. Speaking on Star Sports during India’s washed-out game, Ganguly gave the example of Kolkata’s Eden Garden, which has full covers to protect it from rain. “The covers that are used in India, at the Eden Gardens, are from England. Using them here (in England) would have meant spending only half the cost and it is also tax-free.
“So, they should have used those here anyway. In India, we use these covers for all matches, so that when the rain stops the match can resume within 10 minutes. They are very light covers, it’s not difficult to lift it, you don’t need too much manpower. The blue covers that were used earlier in India, used to take more than 10 times the time and people compared to now,” he said.
The first thing Ganguly did when he took over as the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, was to get these covers.
“The covers that are in Eden Gardens and at the Lord's are translucent covers. So, light goes past it. This way, the grass won’t dry up nor will the colour change from green to brown, if you use them to cover the outfield. For such important matches, and in a tournament like the World Cup, especially in a country like England where the rains are so frequent, having these covers are very important, especially on the outfield as well.
“Today’s case is different. The match was called off not only because of the rain today, but because it has been raining continuously for the past three days. The two reasons for the delay were, firstly, the wet pitch and secondly, something that the viewers on screen can’t see is how dark the ground is. The match can’t begin in such a dark setting."
There have been calls for reserve days while playing a World Cup in England. The ICC, however, said it is impossible owing to logistics issues, besides stretching the already lengthy tournament.
The country has seen unprecedented rains. Many places have been issued flood warnings. The biggest concern for India, Pakistan, ICC and the official broadcaster is to ensure that the match between the arch-rivals on June 16 is not rained off. Light showers are predicted on the day. The weather, however, is expected to improve all over England by the end of this week.
