Are there any realistic options for the ICC to prevent play lost due to bad weather?

[iniqbal223]

ICC focuses on all the more useless topics like super overs, promotion of very less likely to play associate countries like UAE, USA, etc.

But for all the last 70 years of competitive cricket , they have not found a solution for , how to deal with rain effected matches..

There are scenarios if , matches can be extend by few hours, they can get the match done.. For example , today, they could wait for few more hours , and then call it off

or have reserve days or time slots, or better standardized equipments for ground staff to deal with

But we know it's ICC.. only when some day India gets impacted badly with rain, then may be it will be on ICC agenda

 

[Babeikh]

It will become more and more of an issue in the coming years and decades due to climate change.

'Solutions' like building stadiums with retractable roofs everywhere are pure fantasy so stop dreaming if you even consider this. At most there might at some point be one or two such stadiums in Aus and Eng. That won't make any difference. The stadium they already have in Aus is never used.

The only realistic solutions are to invest in equipment to get the ground ready quickly after rain. I'm sure modern technology can come up with something to dry grass, or cover the whole field. That way at least we can take the wet outfield delays out of the game and restart immediately when it stops raining.

 

[street cricketer]

No

 

[UzmanBeast]

It will become more and more of an issue in the coming years and decades due to climate change.

'Solutions' like building stadiums with retractable roofs everywhere are pure fantasy so stop dreaming if you even consider this. At most there might at some point be one or two such stadiums in Aus and Eng. That won't make any difference. The stadium they already have in Aus is never used.

The only realistic solutions are to invest in equipment to get the ground ready quickly after rain. I'm sure modern technology can come up with something to dry grass, or cover the whole field. That way at least we can take the wet outfield delays out of the game and restart immediately when it stops raining.

Like Sri Lanka does, covers for the entire ground should be implemented.

Furthermore, I also think that broadcasters need to be more flexible. If a match is washed out on the day, broadcasters should be ready to conduct the game on the following day.

Such changes need to come into play, and tour schedules need to be flexible.

 

[sadida97]

play even if it is raining

 

[YousafTheBeast]

I don’t know why grounds especially in the UK don’t have covers to cover the entire ground.

They use the hover cover to protect the pitches which is pointless because if the outfield is too wet then there isn’t any possibility of play regardless of how good the drainage is.

If Sri Lanka can get it done then why can’t the ROW?

 

[shamaan]

If thier is rain predicted later on in the team they should automatically reduce the overs before it starts raining

 

[SM1989]

The only thing realistic is to do away with cut off time in wetter climates and allow until midnight to complete the match on the day and have reserve days as back up.

For example if there is rain delay and its 10:30 pm when the match can start, then the match should be played with one innings only. Then the teams should use the reserve day the next day to play the second innings.

However such arrangements will require flexibility on the part of the broadcasters.

Alternatively each full member of ICC should have one indoor stadium (or outdoor stadiums with retractable roofs) available. A couple of reserve days should be booked in those indoor stadiums to complete any rained off matches.

However as others have said I don’t think the ICC will take any action until India gets knocked out of a rained out semi final.

 

[Justcrazy]

There is No possible solution. Weather will continue to play a part .

 

[Itachi]

don't arrange matches in rainy seasons. Don't know about UK weather but in tropical countries, it's pretty to easy to do.

 

[iniqbal223]

ICC can at least make efforts in ensuring no match get abandoned because of delays in wet outfields

No body can control the rains; and of course , they can't play in rains
But what I have seen, ICC never as a whole worked with other boards to make any efforts whatsoever to work on this.. All we hear is, now there will be new drinks rule, runner rule, etc.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

play even if it is raining

For this to happen, they can switch to start playing all international matches with a tape/tennis ball or something along those lines, like a hairless rubber ball.

No padding required and a water bucket should be kept handy where the hairless ball (without tape on it) can be dipped into water whenever the bowlers wanted it.

In case of rain, they won’t need to dip the ball in the water bucket.

 

[Liverpool_Faizan]

Retractable roofs made mandatory for stadiums wanting to host a world cup knock out game.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

5 match West Indies v Pakistan T20I series reduced to 1 or 2 games. Who is to blame?

The final T20I of the West Indies tour may also be washed out, which means we will only get one result out of 5 games. For me, this an utter farce. People will make the argument that you can’t control the weather, but you can plan for and around it. This is another embarrassing moment in this sport. Cricket definitely does not deserve the same respect that other bigger sports do because of the sheer incompetence with which it is run. This is unacceptable

 

[sweep_shot]

I think ICC should not do anything about rain. Rain is a part of cricket and it should remain that way.

 

[PakLFC]

They can try playing indoors

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Yes. Play everything in middle east.

 

[IMMY69]

don't arrange matches in rainy seasons. Don't know about UK weather but in tropical countries, it's pretty to easy to do.

I was going to say this too.
There was a time when international cricket was played during the right seasons... February/March in the West Indies.. November/December in India and Pakistan, December/January in Australia and New Zealand. However these days you see games in the UAE/Pakistan during May/June and during the Hurricane season in the Windies...

England has always been a bit of lottery when it comes to rain but by in large July and August are the better months and you can get through three or four tests without rain affecting the result.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Should just reschedule the game for another day. T20 games could probably be played on the same day unless the weather is bad all day. Personally I would have liked to reduce to a single test match and then use the spare days from the first test to play the remaining T20 games.

 

[Last Monetarist]

It's utterly ludicrous in this day and age that groundsmen aren't enacting the most straightforward solution and not covering the whole ground when it rains.

The ICC should mandate that each international ground should have sufficient covers available that the whole playing area is cordoned off when it rains, as it happens in Sri Lanka.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

^But but but but but there are no solutions and we have to put up with this farce.

Thank god I emotionally tuned out today or else it would have been painful.

And then we folks wonder why test cricket is dying.

Obvious solutions:

1. Cover the ENTIRE ground you nincompoops.

2. Stop with the SBI bank style lunch break, tea break, bathroom break....plan it around the rain.

3. What's up with this official inspection time nonsense? If groundstaff has made it ready, umpires inspect it then and there and game gets started in 5 minutes.

4. Start the day early....as early as weather permits.....not 30 mins before.

An unconventional approach (I don't know the intricacies of it):

5. If test matches rain, we could continue the game in the night (pink ball test)....sure it may not be the most fair approach but hey, its wayyy better than losing a test game due to rain.

-----

Ideally retractable roofs are the solution but I am told that they are financially unfeasible (like totally) for a poor game like cricket.

Also let's be honest:

Playing in England is AWFUL.

Yes the swinging ball is a sight to behold but the rain really kills all the excitement.

1. Rain marred CT 2013 finals (ironically it helped India more than England)
2. Rain marred WC 2019
3. WTC 2021 farce
4. Now this test match

 

[Last Monetarist]

More evidence today that time is unnecessarily being lost from the game just because the groundsmen don't have the resources/willingness to cover the whole ground when it rains.

It's an utter shambles from the administrators.

 

[MenInG]

Ground still wet it seems...

"Some patches of the ground are still wet. Delay in start of third days play. Umpire will inspect the field at 9:40 am (local time)" : PCB Media

 

[Titan24]

Have minimum equipment and infrastructural requirements in place for international stadiums to minimize the interruptions.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Get better equipment, I mean come on WI should be able to afford a super soaker at least. Shouldn’t cost more than a few 1000 or better yet get an on hire.

In this case a reserve day should be actioned, I love the Windie lads but honestly the ground staff have been incompetent.

 

[ElRaja]

make it a non negotiable requirement for the entire ground to be covered during a rain break.

i can understand not playing cricket during rain, but delays for bad light and wet outfields are not acceptable in this day and age.

have a provision to switch to a pink ball to complete lost overs in a post evening session if less than 90 overs bowled in a day.

force teams to bowl 15 overs an hour.

lots of things can be done, but icc wont do anything.

 

[Executioner]

1) Cover up the entire stadium with haste. Deploy many ground staff if needed. Seldom in BD in the last decade has a match been abandoned due to wet outfield.

2) Ensure that tests and ODIs start an hour or half an hour early than usual if RAIN has been identified as a threat.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's 2021 - we can send missions to Mars, but we can't cover cricket grounds properly <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1429508376883601413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[NauV]

Has anyone seen how Wimbledon covers its outside courts in the rain? and how it used to cover center court and court 1 before the roof? Not sure if I am allowed to post pictures, but you can google wimbledon rain covers and you'll get images . .

Essentially its elevated and all the rain automatically drains towards the sides . . and they are able to start immediately after the rain stops . .

Now granted, cricket grounds are a lot bigger and hence complicated, but surely . . it can't be THAT difficult? What am I missing here? Why is it impossible to have similar covers on cricket grounds?

 

[Saj]

All international grounds should have covers that cover the entire playing area.

If they don't, then they shouldn't be allowed to host international matches.

 

[Varun]

They use the hover cover to protect the pitches which is pointless because if the outfield is too wet then there isn’t any possibility of play regardless of how good the drainage is.

I KNOW RIGHT??

Always felt that hovercraft thing was a gimmick.

It's like owning a Ferrari but living in a ruin.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Awful management by WICB. One of the worst managed tours even after Pak provided them favor by scrapping a t20i for making up for the postponement of a few games of against Aus.

When it was scheduled to rain at night, why didn't they keep the covers on for the night?
Covering the whole ground takes common sense and doesn't even cost that much money.
They are still using the soppers that are much inferior to the ones used by Pak, SL, Ban etc.

 

[Cricketrenew]

All sports seem to have come to terms with rain but cricket still seems in the dark ages.

Why not look solutions of covering grounds, technology has moved on since the 80's, there must be an approach for big matches. I dont think there is enough money in the game to build covered stadiums.

Another aspect that has been chipping away at the game.

 

[gazza619]

Why is there a damn tea break when 2 days are lost to rain?

Just wondering if someone can enlighten me?

Why is test cricket not evolving?

 

[street cricketer]

Maybe players can't keep playing for two sessions together.

 

[MenInG]

Love what they do in Sri Lanka