Spare a thought for climate change
The chartered flights to get all the captains together for the launch event was an extravagance we could probably have done without
Sidharth Monga
04-Oct-2023
The Narendra Modi Stadium is all decked up ahead of the World Cup opener • ICC/Getty Images
Imagine the relief among the organisers of this World Cup at landing in Ahmedabad and seeing young bike riders using protection for their faces and not their heads. Hardly anyone wears helmets in Ahmedabad, but the handkerchief to cover the face are ubiquitous. That can mean only one thing: dust and dry heat. Dry heat. Just the word cricket organisers need to hear, although helmets would be welcome too.
The climate emergency we live in is real, and cricket is not immune. Last year, the T20 World Cup just about winged it past the extreme weather conditions that led to widespread flooding in Australia. This year's IPL final almost didn't happen because of torrential summer rain in Ahmedabad of all places.
Since the start of the Asia Cup in August, we have spent more time looking at weather websites than watching cricket. Four of the ten warm-up matches for this World Cup were washed out by unseasonal rain. The last thing a tournament in the news for the wrong reasons - late announcement of schedules, ticket sales fiascos, visa delays - needs is rain in the tournament proper, which is when we are told the quality of cricket will wipe away memories of all the organisational problems.
The impact on the cricket so far is nothing compared to the devastation wrought by global warming. It almost feels silly to be nervous about the weather for the sake of a few games of bat and ball.