Eden Gardens plays another spoilsport

A ground staff member removes covers from the playing surface

The abandoning of the final Twenty20 international match between India and South Africa due to wet outfield at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata raises many issues in front of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). To be more specific, the drainage system of Eden and the soil used in the ground.

According to the reports, it rained only for 25 minutes in the afternoon in Kolkata and Indian Meteorological Department recorded a rainfall of 14.2 mm. The match was supposed to start at 7 pm. But due to wet outfield, it was delayed.

At 9.30pm sharp, the two on-field umpires Anil Chaudhury and Vineet Kulkarni arrived at the decision after four inspections to call off play. They came to a conclusion that there was no significant improvement in the underfoot conditions to ensure the fielders wouldn’t be put in any danger. Eventually, the Proteas won the three-match Twenty20 series by 2-0.

Umpires inspect the pitch

The super-soppers were still seen rolling to get as much as water out, but nothing worked and it was all over. Match cancelled. Eden had again played the spoilsport. This was not the first time in Kolkata that a match was called off without a ball being bowled, there is a list of recent matches getting abandoned because of the same reason:

October 27-30, 2013: The Ranji Trophy game between Bengal and Baroda.

May 27, 2014: The IPL 7 Qualifier between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab.

December 31, 2014: The final day of the Ranji Trophy match between Bengal and Mumbai.

April 26, 2015: The IPL 8 fixture between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.

Eden Gardens’ problematic soil content and the obstinate curator

Failed drainage system deserted all the above matches, The Indian Express reported on July 9 that the BCCI had sent a mail, asking the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to fix the Eden outfield problem and improve drainage system before the World T20. But then followed the IPL washout. The BCCI asked CAB to increase the sand content of the soil especially in the outfield.

The CAB curator, Prabir Mukherjee, replied saying there is nothing wrong with ‘baby’. Former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly then said by defending the CAB’s curator that if Mr Mukherjee thinks a course correction is required, we will do it.

The BCCI’s East Zone curator Ashish Bhowmick had advised the CAB to follow other state associations and change the soil content.

“Look at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mohali…Coring has now become a routine at almost every cricket ground. We use Pro Core 648 machines to bore holes that are about four to six inches deep. Clay is taken out and we fill them with sand. This is the best way to remove surface water,” Bhowmick was quoted saying by the same news agency.

The three new pumps were installed to remove surface water, but with the soil being made of the fine earth deposit of running or standing water, it didn’t make much of a difference.

Mukherjee remained of the same opinion even after the final match and said: “I thought the ground was playable, but at the end of the day it was the umpires’ decision.”

To conclude, we can say that the stubborn attitude of the 85-year-old Mr Mukherjee is actually playing the real ‘spoilsport’ here. Ganguly who is going to be formally elected as CAB President on 15 October, should run a thorough inspection Eden’s playing condition and make the following modern changes needed.

Eden Gardens is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders. The fact that the final has been awarded to Eden of the World Twenty20 2016, which is scheduled to be held in India next year, will make the International Cricket Council think twice now.

Because looking at the current condition, Eden is definitely not fit to host such a big game which can get spoiled with even minor showers.

The South African tour of India continues in other parts of the country meanwhile. The first ODI is scheduled to be played in Kanpur on October 11 and weather looks perfectly fine there.