Climate Change & Cricket

September 15, 2020

Climate Change & Cricket

So, last week I was asked by a certain organisation to write a small article on 'Impact of Climate Change on Cricket' and here I'm expanding that article and bringing out to my latest blog on how Climate Change is hampering cricket globally!

At a time when CoViD-19 pandemic is above our heads, the old demon; climate change hasn't disappeared. It is here and seems to stay till our lifetime and further more. Pandemic's may come and go, but this devil is here to stay (Not demeaning pandemic in any way). Pardon the pun, but cricket is feeling the heat too.

Cricket, a sport where weather plays a major role in influencing the game-play and can dictate the balance of power with sunny conditions more helpful for batting, while humid and moist conditions favouring the bowlers. Cricket is well attired sports where players are dressed in long-sleeves shirts, trousers, padding, helmets (especially Test Match) and matches go on for 5 days. Despite these essential characteristics, climate change has neither been much of a talking point nor has ICC paid much attention to it.

Cricket has always been a sport at the mercy of the weather.

Remember those flooded grounds during the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which led to cancellation of 3 matches and affecting results of more than 5, it was a result of the heavy downpour that happened in parts of the UK (One day's rain equivalent to a months') while the UK suffered from drought last year. This not only affected the points table, but also drew criticism about the manner in which this prestigious tournament was conducted and managed.

Taking back in the history, in the 1930s, county cricket clubs in England were headed for a financial ruin after a succession of wet summers. 20 years later, persistent rain saw desperate clubs experiment with blankets, rubber mats and suction machines (That's where these things came from).

As recently as the summer of 2012, three of England's 13 ODIs were abandoned due to rain, while no result was possible in two of their seven Test matches with West Indies and South Africa.

In India, heavy rains affected the September-October Vijay Hazare Trophy. When the rain abates, drought come into play; the Bombay High Court ordered 13 IPL matches scheduled to be played in the state of Maharashtra to be relocated due to severe drought (Parts of Maharashtra witnessed one of the worst droughts in 100 years). In 2019, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Rajashtan were reeling under severe drought, and the question of water usage by IPL became a hot talking point.

In September 2017, the unprecedented scenes of Sri Lankan cricketers wearing face masks to protect themselves from smog and Sri Lankan fast bowlers struggling to bowl a spell, brought much shame to the name of the city and raised serious questions about holding major sporting events in Delhi. On that particular day, the air pollution recorded in Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium was 18 times higher the WHO safety levels. The then IMA President KK Aggrawal said "This match should not have taken place in the first place. It's time the ICC comes up with a policy on pollution".

The severity of heat strokes was visible during the 2018 Ashes in Sydney when English Captain Joe Root was only able to bat for an hour on 5th day and retired due to temperatures hitting a staggering 57.6 degrees in the middle of SCG at a point in time. Cricket Australia later introduced it's widely praised 'Heat Policy' leading to more drinks brake for players and even suspension of play. But, sadly other national governing bodies have been slow off the mark. BCCI, the cricket governing body in India and the World's richest cricket board has been often been criticised for falling short to the expectations of people involved.

Again, how could we forget the restriction on players during India's tour to South Africa in December 2018 and January 2019 - to take bath for 2 minutes only - in Cape Town. This was a result of one of the deadliest and severe droughts that occurred in areas around Cape Town, leading to acute water scarcity.

A highly cited 'Hit of Six' report, released last year by the scientists and sports scholars of University of Lord's and University of Portsmouth that "a full day on the crease, given the shuttle you're required to make between the wickets, can be equivalent to running a marathon".

The reports advises governing bodies to develop scientific "Climate for Cricket" action plans including science based-policies to protect players, umpires and spectators from the risk of extreme heat. The whole of cricket authority need to wake up to this problem. The report urges cricket authorities to introduce 'heat rules' including postponing games in response to climate change.

Influential cricket figures such as Ian Chappell and Shane Warne have shared their concerns regarding the adverse affects this may cause. Ian in recent interview to ESPN Cricinfo, urged the authorities to take this seriously and said that it's "critical" for cricket's future. He says, "For starters, drastic increases in temperature will add to health dangers for the players. There is nothing more frustrating than a game delayed by rain, but imagine if players are off the field because of sun burns". If the temperatures keep rising; players will need to protected from heat stroke or even lasting skin-cancer damage. In a ligitious era, cricket boards will need to proceed with caution.

This is "Wake-up call" for all those who love the game of cricket to force authorities to involve in a serious discussion and come up with ideas and solutions for the viability of this game in the future. The examples are endless, but sadly as we've seen how climate change has become a political football around the world. It will be engrossing to see the response from this traditionally conservative sport.

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