The preparations for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 are in full swing, with the tournament all set to take place in October-November in India. According to reports, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has developed certain ‘guidelines’ for the curators to tackle the dew factor, which is expected to play a major role in the World Cup.
Most of the matches are expected to be affected by heavy due. It provides a significant advantage to the batters, especially batting in the second innings. Indian wickets are more conducive to spin bowlers. However, with dew in play, their effectiveness is hampered. To tackle the dew factor and ensure that the seamers too get some assistance, the ICC has asked the curators to keep more grass on the pitches, as reported by the TOI.
“Venues in the northern, western and eastern states of India are likely to witness heavy dew at this time of year. Matches in Chennai and maybe Bengaluru are likely to see a decent amount of rain. The main idea is to keep the toss out of the equation as much as possible.
Dew largely impacts the performance of spinners. With more grass, teams will not have to depend as much on spinners. That will also help in having true surfaces. And ODI games don’t need to see very high scores to be interesting,” said a source to the TOI.
ICC suggests long boundaries
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also suggested that the boundaries should be kept more than 70 metres long. This will ensure a balance between the bat and the ball. The board has also directed the venues to use a wetting agent.
“The minimum size of boundaries for international matches is 65 metres and the maximum is 85 metres. The old centres have a boundary size of around 70-75 metres. It has been suggested that boundaries should be kept more than 70 metres. The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has also directed curators to use a wetting agent that has been standardized by the board and ICC.
Most venues these days use similar wetting agents. But now the board has directed every centre to not use any other wetting agent than what has been prescribed,” the source added.
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