New Delhi: The opening day of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match between Australia and India has been marred with incessant rain showers at the Gabba in Brisbane. The play has been cut short to just 13.2 overs and the chances of having a full-fledged day looks bleak.
Interestingly, the groundsmen didn’t cover the whole outfield with the pitch area being the only exception. This is strange for an cricket viewer as the norm has been that the ground staff usually carry the heavy covers to ensure there isn’t abundance of water on the field. But then the Brisbane venue has some distinguished features which absorbs the excessive water quickly and dries the surface in a few minutes.
It is the drainage system at the Gabba which makes things a lot easier, making the venue ready for play in short time. There is a 1.8 meter large drain under the ground, which collects the heavy rain water, and the siphonic drainage system makes the water dry quickly with its high speed feature.
It is the key element for the groundsmen to not cover the ground completely.
“We’ve had a considerable amount of rain, but The Gabba has a good drainage system and we’ve also done aeration work to help speed up the process, so the field has handled the wet really well,” said David Sandurski, the Head of Grounds, as quoted by Gabba’s official website.
“Our focus has really been on trying to prevent the wicket block from getting too wet, which can lead to disease in the turf, so we’re covering it and removing excess water,” Sandurski added.
Australia lose no wickets after India asks to bowl first
Australian openers Usman Khawaja (19*) and Nathan McSweeney (4*) batted brilliantly in the first session to hold the firm under the overcast conditions. Khawaja played more confidently, punching and heaving past the fielders for three boundaries in total, though his partner has been taking his time to put his foot on.
The opening day of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match in Brisbane was severely impacted by heavy rain. The Gabba’s impressive drainage system, featuring a 1.8-meter drain, allowed for quicker drying of the outfield, though the pitch was covered. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
