The joke is, if you want rain in this wetter-than-usual summer in the Caribbean, start a game of cricket.
Beneath the humor is a seemingly tacit agreement with the following claims. 2018 climate report Of all the major outdoor sports that rely on fields and pitches, “cricket will be most impacted by climate change”.
By some standards, cricket is the second most popular sport in the world after soccer, with 2 to 3 billion fans. It is most widely accepted in countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and in the West Indies, which are most affected by heat waves, rains, floods, droughts, hurricanes, wildfires and oceans. Increased levels associated with anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.
Cricket in developed countries such as Britain and Australia is also being affected as heat waves are becoming hotter, more frequent and lasting longer. becomes intense. Of the 21 hottest years on record, 20 have been since 2000.
This year the sport faced the hottest spring ever recorded on the Indian subcontinent for more than a century, with the UK experiencing the hottest day yet. In June, when the West Indies (a combined team from mostly English-speaking countries in the Caribbean) arrived in Multan, Pakistan to play three games, temperatures hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest on Earth. Even one of the places was above average.
“To be honest, it felt like opening an oven,” said Aqeel Hossein, 29, of the West Indies.
Heat is not the only concern for cricketers. Much like the pitching and batting sport of baseball, cricket is not easy to play in the rain. In July, the West Indies canceled matches in Dominica and cut short matches in Guyana and Trinidad due to rain and waterlogging.
The eight-game series between the West Indies and India will conclude Saturday and Sunday in South Florida as the height of hurricane season approaches in the Gulf and Atlantic. In 2017, two Category 5 storms, Irma and Maria, damaged cricket stadiums in five Caribbean countries.
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Matches last up to 5 days. Even a one-day match can last him seven hours or more in ferocious conditions. Queen’s Park with temperatures in the low 90’s as the rain clears for the West Indies v India series opener at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago at 9:30 am on July 22nd Eight hours of sun on the oval and the players still had to contend. Humidity above 60%.
According to the 2019 report on cricket and climate change, a professional hitter can generate heat equivalent to running a marathon in a day of play. Marathon runners wear shorts and singlets to help dissipate heat, while in cricket, wearing napkins, gloves, and helmets increase their ability to evaporate sweat in hot, humid conditions that often lack shade. Limited.
“It is clear that travel plans have been disrupted due to weather conditions, in addition to match schedules, due to rainfall, smoke, pollution, dust and heat,” commentator and former researcher West Indies captain Darren Ganga, 43, said. Impact of Climate Change on Sport in partnership with the University of the West Indies.
“Action must be taken to manage this situation,” Ganga said. There are still opportunities to pull things back in other areas. “
The International Cricket Council, the governing body of the sport, has yet to sign it. United Nations Sport and Climate Initiative. The goal is to reduce the world’s sports organizations to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to encourage the public to consider this issue urgently. Australia has implemented heat guidelines, More water breaks than normal are allowed during matches, but there is no global policy for playing in extreme weather. The Cricket Council did not respond to a request for comment.
A proposal in the 2019 Climate Report to allow athletes to wear shorts instead of trousers to keep cool in extreme heat might seem like a common sense idea. Hmm. But that didn’t work out for many players who say they’re more susceptible to burns and bruises on their feet from the strict conventions of international cricket and from sliding and diving on hard fields.
“My two knees are already gone,” said 32-year-old India’s Yuzvendra Chahal.
Yet, both within and outside the sport, questions are being raised about the sustainability of cricket amidst extreme climates and demanding schedules of matches of various formats. British star Ben Stokes retires “We’re not the kind of car that lets you fill up with gas and go,” he said from One Day International Format on July 19.
Coincidentally, Stokes’ retirement came as Britain recorded its hottest day ever, with temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time. England hosted an all-day cricket match against South Africa in the somewhat cooler northeastern city of Durham as climate scientists said such heat could become the new normal. Additional water breaks, ice packs and beach-style parasols were employed to keep players cool. Despite these precautions, British Matthew Potts I left the game exhausted.
Aiden Markram of South Africa I was photographed with an ice bag on my head and another ice bag on my neck. Some fans were reported to have passed out or sought medical attention, while many others scrambled for a thin slice of shade.
South Africa also endured tough conditions on June 9 when they played India in the heat, humidity and pollution of New Delhi. The heat index was 110 degrees Fahrenheit for the night game. Part of the stadium was turned into a cooling zone for spectators, with curtains, chairs and misting fans attached to plastic water tanks.
“We are used to it,” said 36-year-old Shikhar Dhawan, one of India’s captains. “I try not to think about the heat too much, because if I think about it too much, I start to feel the heat.”
In India, cricketers are as popular as Bollywood actors. Over 30,000 spectators attended the match in New Delhi, even in sauna-like conditions. “It feels good. Who cares about the heat?” said 17-year-old Saksham Mehndiratta, who attended his first match against his father since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is appalling,” said his father Naresh after seeing the spectacular batting.
However, South Africa were not at risk after touring India in 2015. Eight players and two of their coaching and support staff were hospitalized in the southern city of Chennai. extreme fatigue.
South Africa’s physiotherapist Craig Gavender said: “It was a mess.
On a recent tour of South Africa, Gavender took along an inflatable tub to cool his players’ feet. Mealtime electrolyte capsules. Ice and magnesium slushy. Ice towel for shoulders, face and back. South African uniforms were ventilated behind the knees, along the seams, and in the armpits. Urine color was monitored to prevent dehydration. During the match on June 9, several players jumped into the ice bath to cool down.
2017, Sri Lankan athletes wore masks and oxygen cylinders were provided in the changing rooms. To combat severe pollution during the match in New Delhi. Some players vomited on the field.
2018, British captain Joe Root hospitalized The famous five-day Ashes test in Sydney, Australia, with digestive problems, severe dehydration and heat stress. Did.
The incident prompted Tony Eilish, then president of the International Cricket Federation, to ask, “What would it take for a player to collapse on the field?” Before cricket’s governing bodies implemented extreme heat policies.
Also in 2018, Indian players have been asked to limit their showers to two minutes while playing in Cape Town, where drought persists. It caused the cancellation of club and school cricket.
2019, The air in Sydney got very smoky during the wildfire crisis Australian player Steve O’Keeffe said it felt like “smoking 80 cigarettes a day”.
Climate change is affecting every aspect of cricket, from batting and bowling strategy. Groundskeeper Concerns About Seed Germination, Pests, and Fungal DiseasesFlat Lords, London’s historic cricket groundMost recently, in mid-July, when the unprecedented heat didn’t require patrons to wear jackets.
Athletes are expected to “compete in environments that are becoming too hostile to human physiology.” Rose’s sustainability pioneer Russell Seymour wrote in last year’s climate report. “Our love and desire for sport risks straying into brutality.”
To be fair, some actions have been taken to mitigate climate change. Matches may start or be rescheduled later in the day. Australian captain Cummins has launched an initiative to install solar panels on the roof of his cricket club. Lord’s is entirely wind-poweredThe National Green Court of India, a specialized body dealing with environmental issues, has ruled that treated wastewater should be used to irrigate cricket grounds in place of scarce potable groundwater. .
player on Royal Challengers Bangalore Club of the Indian Premier League Green uniforms will be worn at some games to increase environmental awareness. Team members appeared in a video about the weather during this spring’s devastating heat wave. The video included the chilling fact that “it was the hottest temperature the country has faced in her 122 years.”
But some in the cricket world counter that climate change cannot be expected to become the most pressing concern in developing countries where the basics of everyday life can struggle. And countries like India and Pakistan, where cricket is very popular, are among the least responsible for climate change. We often hear the warning that the richest developed countries, the top emitters of greenhouse gases, must also do their part to reduce their emissions.
Dario Bathory, spokesman for the West Indies team, said: “People are flying in private jets in the US while they ask us not to use plastic straws.
Kitty Bennett Contributed to research.