ICC aims to minimise dew factor in Champions Trophy matches

Mohali, Oct 25 (UNI) Rattled by criticism, the ICC has taken steps to minimise the dew factor in the remaining matches of the ongoing Champions Trophy.

Chemical spray has been used on outfield ahead of today's New Zealand-Pakistan clash here and it is expected that it will lead to significant reduction in dew.

APSA-80, manufactured by Indian company Amway, has been sprayed on the outfield in an attempt to reduce the amount of dew that forms on the outfield during day-night matches.

The chemical is not expected to eradicate dew completely, but it is hoped it will reduce it significantly.

ICC Manager, Cricket, David Richardson, said: ''Dew and the effect it has on day-night cricket has been something that everyone is conscious of. And although it has not played a major role in the Champions Trophy so far we are keen that should remain the case for the rest of the tournament and that every match should be a fair contest between bat and ball.'' ''A great deal of work has already been done on the subject of dew reduction in South Africa, we were made aware of that work and that led us to APSA-80,'' he added.

Richardson said the Tournament Technical Committee, which he chairs, has approved the measure and if it proves successful it is likely the spraying procedure will be used at other venues where dew is expected to form. The procedure is not believed to have any effect on the ball.

Richardson added the spraying was one of a number of measures that could be taken in the run-up to a game to reduce the amount of moisture on the ground.

''We will also be ensuring that outfields are not watered on the day of a match and that they are cut shorter to reduce the amount of grass that is available for dew to cling to,'' he said.

Previous trials in South Africa have taken place at both domestic and international levels since the 1999-2000 season. The ODI between South Africa and India in October 2001 featured among the matches where chemicals were used on the outfield.

The Technical Committee of the Champions Trophy comprises of David Richardson (chairman), Campbell Jamieson, Ian Bishop, Rameez Raja , MP Pandove and Prof R Shetty.

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