The 100-person grounds crew overcame the Colombo weather to allow for the India-Pakistan game
On Monday, despite the fact that it started to rain heavily about 1:40 pm and continued to sprinkle until about 3:30 pm, the game was allowed to continue at 4:40 pm after both teams expressed their complete contentment with the weather.
For Dabare and his ground team, it has been that kind of a week or so. It has been difficult for him as the national curator of Sri Lanka Cricket, as well as for his 100 or so ground workers, who have been doing an amazing job despite the torrential rains that Colombo has had over the last fortnight. Dabare, who currently employs around 60 grounds crew members, hired about 50 additional laborers for the Asia Cup as soon as it became apparent that the competition would be hampered by inclement weather. Dabare was well aware of the challenge that lay ahead.
And for the past week, he has been teaching his youngsters how to put the covers on while holding a stopwatch. Dabare has been doing this for twenty years, but he doesn’t feel like taking chances just now. We brought roughly 100 laborers for the match, but I also have access to 60 skilled workers who I can borrow from Pallekele, Galle, or Hambantota if necessary. But I had to carry more this time because of the rains,” he stated.
The routine is as described for the ground workers. They removed the wet blankets and set them out to dry when they came on Monday at 8 a.m. with the sun peeking out and no ominous clouds in the distance. The outfield was completely covered by noon, when R Premadasa Stadium was surrounded by ominous clouds.
“We must conceal it as soon as possible. Covering the plaza comes first, and it takes us another 20 to 25 minutes to cover the entire area. And we take the time to remove the water and replace it anytime it starts to drizzle lightly because otherwise, it will start to pour heavily, explains Thyagu, one of the laborers engaged for the Asia Cup. For the work they complete between 8 am and 6 pm, he is paid LKR 2,000 (510 Indian rupees), plus LKR 200 for each subsequent hour.
No Super Sopper; all work is done by hand
By this point, the routine is so entrenched in them that putting the covers on seems more like a coordinated act. Sometimes the crowd misinterpreted their acts as well. There have been times over the previous two nights when the covers have been withdrawn to the clamor of the crowd, only for them to be quickly replaced.
“Because we don’t utilize the super sopper like some other companies, we have to do that to remove the water. It soaks up very little water during periods of heavy rain and takes a long time to do so. But since we simply transfer it from one cover to the next and our drainage facility is good, we only need to restart after around 45 minutes when we do it manually, Dabare says.
What occurred on Sunday night?
On Sunday, Dabare and his workers cleaned up the ground by 8.30 p.m., even taking care of the two problem locations where two enormous puddles had developed after an hour of heavy rain finished at 6 p.m. Normally, they would have made sure that such a situation never arises, but because of the high whirling winds and in particular since the umpires hesitated a bit before stopping play, they fought to control it and put on the covers. Rain was now pelting that area. Nevertheless, they had the ground prepared in two hours after the rain ceased.
On Monday, however, they managed to get the game to resume at 4.40 pm despite heavy rains arriving at 1.40 pm and the drizzle lasting until roughly 3.30 pm after both teams confirmed their contentment with the circumstances.
“We ran into a difficulty during the game yesterday (Sunday). The umpires were a little late, and those three to four minutes are quite important. We can cover the square, but it takes time to cover the outfield. The covers get more difficult to drag with each lost minute due to rainwater. The covers became twisted as several of the boys froze. Normally, umpires direct the covers to us after glancing at us. Dabare continued, “But yesterday the rain fell so swiftly.
The match officials used the reserve day on Sunday at around 8:30 p.m., but Dabare believed they could have waited a bit longer because they had prepared the pitch and even had it covered. “They made the decision to halt play. It didn’t sit well with me. We could have completed the remaining game today (Monday) and played 20 additional overs, he remarked.
Dabare had to employ some unusual techniques to get the pitch and outfield in good condition due to the intensity of the rain during the course of the two days. The grounds crew employed what Dabare refers to as “heat lamps” to dry off the clay surface in addition to bringing fans to dry out the wet parts on the outfield, particularly around the run-up area.
He chuckles, “Me and the boys came up with his heater and cooler. “Since it is a clay wicket, moisture will accumulate if it is covered for an extended period of time, changing the pitch’s characteristics. So, to ensure that the pitch condition didn’t alter, we employed the heater, adds Dabare.
Dabare promptly cuts off one of his ground personnel as he enters the cabin and asks if they should return to their posts while referencing the weather on his mobile device. I have no faith in Google Weather. I believe in the wind and the sky. Whether it will rain or not will be disclosed.
