it is not entirely rain ! ~ but live relay snap that denied a win for Indians

We have seen the propensity of MSD to take it to the last ball to finish ~ it was looking another good one – a couple of huge sixers by Dhoni evaporating into the stand and one followed by KL Rahul… a gettable last over ~ 2 off the last – Dhoni getting out – anti-climax, immediate reaction by some on twitter, FB and other social media !

The start of the second Twenty20 International of the two-match series between West Indies and India was  delayed by nearly an hour, officials  announced. The match was scheduled to start 10:00 am Eastern Caribbean time at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)  reported a delay because of “technical reasons”. A 30 minute delay was first announced followed by an extra ten minutes – eventually, the delay becoming an hour.

Some confusion – before we read, there was the time difference, as we comfortably sat to see the matches in late evening.  A time zone is a region of the globe that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to keep the same time.  Remember that couple of years back, then Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi  announced his decision to reset the clock in the State an hour ahead of IST to save energy and increase productivity. Daylight saving time (DST) or summer time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. A dual time zone in India, if Assam were to turn its clock forward by an hour, would  not only create “unimaginable chaos” in a country of India’s demographic size, but also barely meet its intended goal of saving energy.

Remember the match was played in Florida.  Time in the United States, by law, is divided into nine standard time zones covering the states and its possessions, with most of the United States observing daylight saving time (DST) for approximately the spring, summer, and fall months. Official and highly precise timekeeping services (clocks) are provided by two federal agencies: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (an agency of the Department of Commerce); and its military counterpart, the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). The clocks run by these services are kept synchronized with each other as well as with those of other international timekeeping organizations. It is the combination of the time zone and daylight saving rules, along with the timekeeping services, which determines the legal civil time for any U.S. location at any moment.

India’s chances of levelling the series after a heartbreaking one-run loss in the thrilling first Paytm T20I against West Indies were dashed when the second and the final match was called off due to wet patches on the outfield following rain.  Indians clearly looked in control unlike the earlier match having bowled out the mighty West Indies  for just 143 runs in 19.4 overs at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill.

When India’s chase began, openers Rohit Sharma and Ajinjya Rahane were batting on 10 and four respectively, when the play was halted with India 15/0 after two overs, needing another 129 runs from 18 overs. With the outfield developing wet patches, even three more overs of play, which would have ensured a result was not possible.  When it started raining, by DLS – India without losing a wicket had to score 27 in 5 overs (the minimum required for a result !)

So when play was finally called-off, Indians felt robbed of an easy victory. Earlier, captain MS Dhoni once again won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Indian bowlers were sharp and made brilliant use of their variations. Leg spinner Amit Mishra, who replaced Stuart Binny was in the thick of the action and on many occasions, the West Indies batsmen failed to read him. Mishra removed the dangerous Johnson Charles (43 off 24) on the first ball he bowled in the final Powerplay over and bowled Dwayne Bravo with a googly and captain Carlos Brathwaite with a flighted delivery.  Amit perhaps would not have been there, if Indians had time to have a T20 line-up – as in the earlier T20 squad Pawan Negi and Harbhajan Singh had edged him out.

The rain and also the technical delay – most probably due to live feed from satellite not being available denied the victory.  In the world of Commercials, it is the bizarre case of not starting the match, simply because it could not go live on air !!! ~ the weather was perfect, everything else was in place – but technology, the relaying back to the cricket crazy nation denied a chance.

This two-match series in Florida, which West Indies won 1-0, was supposed to be an exercise to take the game into a new market, a market where fans are used to being treated better than cricket tends to treat fans in India. The broadcasters had paid massive sums for the rights and deserved some consideration, but there was rain expected later in the afternoon.  It is further reported that at around 12.40pm, with India looking to be on their way to a win having restricted West Indies, it rained for around 20 minutes. The ground didn't have a Super Sopper, and wasn't covered fully. The business area was promptly ready for play and the deep parts of the outfield drained well too, but the top of the bowlers' run-ups, around the area where the painted advertisements are, didn't dry up. The captains were seen looking at that particular area with concern minutes before the game was called off at 2pm.

The official presentation was carried out in gloomy circumstances with the official interviewer steering clear of even mentioning the delayed start, without which the crowd would have had a result. The studio shows and the official interviewer only spoke of how humans are helpless against "mother nature" and "weather". Without being prompted, the West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite said he hoped the drainage and equipment would improve at the ground, which he said was a wonderful venue otherwise.

The World knows the truth, yet would not speak !!!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

29^th Aug 2016.

Photo credit : bcci.tv and news source espncricinfo.