The 2013 edition of the Champions Trophy ended with India and England playing a contest over twenty overs to decide a 50-over marquee tournament winner. Back then, there was no reserve day, and ICC received criticism from lots of quarters. But then, if one goes back to the 2002 edition, there was no result possible in the final even after India and Sri Lanka played on consecutive days. The monsoon in Colombo meant that both teams shared the trophy, and though we at least had a winner in 2013, the signs are ominous for this edition.
In six matches so far, two have been washed out, while the India-Pakistan match saw several rain interruptions. And the forecast doesn’t read good news for teams, even if weather is quite enjoyable for those who have gone though horrid summers back in India. Virat Kohli & Co are in pole position to make it to the semifinals, but for that they need to overcome the weather gods.
There is definite possibility of a washout for the India-Sri Lanka fixture to be held on Thursday, as it has been raining continuously in London since Monday afternoon. The Indian team was supposed to train at the London School of Economics on Tuesday morning, but heavy wind and rain meant that they stayed in the team hotel, and thereby missed another net session. Since arriving in the UK on June 25, India have had only two outdoor net sessions. If the match is washed out and fate repeats itself for the South Africa tie, then it could go down to net run-rate, that too if the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match gets a winner.
If India at least have won a match, Australia’s plight is even worse. After being rescued by rain against New Zealand on Friday, Steve Smith’s boys lost a golden opportunity to take two points against Bangladesh on Monday. Had four more overs been allowed, the match would have reached 20 overs, which is the minimum requirement to determine a winner in 50-over contests, and now, Australia are staring at a second-straight first-round exit from the Champions Trophy. While Australia rejoiced, Bangladesh managed to stay alive and who knows, if they can upset New Zealand in their final league encounter, the semifinals is a definite possibility.
Australia have enough reasons to be unhappy. After official announcement that the match would begin on 8.30 pm local time, a slight drizzle around 8.15 meant they couldn’t start the match, as ICC regulations say that once the teams goes off, the rain has to stop completely for play to resume. Though Smith didn’t have anything to complain about the rule, he did have issues with groundsmen. Unlike in India and Sri Lanka, where most groundsmen prefer to cover the entire ground, the ones in England still prefer to only cover the square and run-up areas. Another striking part of Monday’s match was that it began 1.30 pm local time, which is 6.30 pm in Bangladesh and 10.30 pm in Melbourne, and even business-wise, it makes a huge difference to the ICC.
“Of course I didn’t want to go off. I was happy to keep batting through the rain. But obviously, umpires are there to make a decision. I think drinks was at the end of that over, which probably didn’t help. Had we kept playing on — if the game had just carried on — perhaps they may have had a different opinion. But to be fair, it was raining reasonably hard when we came off. It’s a bit frustrating not getting a result. The groundsmen perhaps could have shown a bit more urgency, this being a big tournament.” Smith said.
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com