Showers leaves hosts’ high and dry

The brief showers that hit the Capital this afternoon not only brought the day’s temperature down by a few degrees, it also showed the ...

The brief showers that hit the Capital this afternoon not only brought the day’s temperature down by a few degrees, it also showed the host association (DDCA) in poor light.

The showers took the DDCA officials by surprise. The groundsmen’s decision to lay the covers on the adjacent wicket before realising their mistake added to the confusion. A good 80 minutes of game was thus lost as the time taken by the ground staff to rectify the mistake was enough for the uncovered wicket to get wet. The two umpires termed it as ‘‘not fit for resumption of play.’’

data-lazy-src="https://data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg" alt="" width="1px" height="1px" style="display:none;">

The wicket then had to be dried with the help of burning coal before the game could be resumed. As a result, the third day’s play was extended beyond the scheduled time, till 6.10 pm. Of course, the cloud cover and a gentle cool breeze gave the much-needed respite to the players after they had suffered under Delhi’s 40 plus temperature.

Story continues below this ad

But as usual, the DDCA officials would not take the blame on themselves. ‘‘The umpires unnecessarily delayed the resumption of play. There was no need for them to stop play for such a long period,’’ a senior official explained.

It is no surprise that more officials are only seen when DDCA president Arun Jaitley or any VIP visits the ground. On other occasions, when their presence could make a difference, they stay away.

A Ranji Trophy semifinal deserves better atmosphere and facilities for the spectators. On a Sunday, with hundreds of young fans pushing their way to the vicinity of the Delhi dressing room to have a closer look at India’s new cricket star Virender Sehwag, one expected better security arrangements.

But, isn’t it expecting too much from the DDCA officials, most of whom have no time for the players or the game.