Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai
One question invariably crops up whenever there is a RevSportz live show in relation to the ongoing Asia Cup – Is there a possibility of dew coming into the equation in Dubai? Now, it is one of those external factors that is difficult to decipher. However, let’s take a deep dive to analyse whether dew has already played a part in the tournament, and whether there is a chance of it coming into play in the future matches.
For starters, there has been no visible dew, at least during the matches held at the Dubai International Stadium, or at the ICC Academy. This writer even did a small exercise – Walking barefoot on the grass at nighttime, near the practice grounds, and couldn’t feel any dew. Based on previous experience of covering matches at the stadium, and during other visits to Dubai, the dew seems to make its presence felt at the fag end of September, and will continue to make an impact on the weather patterns right until the start of next year. In that context, the later part of the tournament could still be affected by dew.
As of now, the dew could be more of a factor during the early morning hours. “From the beginning of the Safariyah month until the autumnal equinox on September 23, the heat will continue along with high humidity, leading to fog and dew in the early morning hours,” said The Khaleej Times.
Having said that, teams could still take the safe route and opt to bowl. If you just consider the upcoming India-Pakistan game, then it is interesting to note that Pakistan opted to bat first against Oman. Maybe Mike Hesson, the Pakistan head coach, was very sure of dew not making an impact during that game.
In an exclusive chat with RevSportz, Hesson himself had talked about the dew factor changing the conditions in Dubai during the early part of the year. “Look, I think the dew point is a little higher now (the interview was conducted in February), because of the change in temperature,” he said. “It is not going down really, but it is dropping down enough. I think the dew point is about 6 degrees in Dubai, so anything that drops more than that, you pretty much know that there would be dew. If it gets up to 9, it is going to be heavy dew. Obviously, taking into account the wind, the potential overcast conditions, but basically the dew point of 6 degrees is relatively low.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to cause droplets on the outfield, but it causes a very nice sheen on the wicket. Once you get that sheen on the wicket, the two-paced nature of the Dubai wicket doesn’t take effect. Whereas when you’re bowling first with that two-paced nature, all of your bowlers come into play.”
Verdict – If you want to take an educated guess about the toss outcome, then India might just prefer to bowl.
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