Cricket in Monsoon Season: World Cricket's Clown of the Month, July 2015

Wherever there is cricket, so there will be rain. This unwritten law might not be pencilled into the big book of cricket laws that govern the sport, but it is part and parcel of the game. While cricket is mostly a summer sport, many countries that play cricket also have summer rainfall.

This peril is mostly negotiated safely. While it cannot be avoided completely, administrators still take their chances. Nobody has started the long process of trying to introduce roofed stadiums in cricket and, until that day, we will be lumped with rain interruptions and lengthy delays. However, one has to applaud the complete lack of logic of whoever thought scheduling a series in the middle of Monsoon season in Bangladesh was a good idea.

Bangladesh and South Africa got lucky during their limited-overs matches. Although a few games were interrupted by rain, none of them were washed out. It was frustrating, sure, but administrators got away with it.

Tests are a different kettle of fish, though. Slight interruptions happen all the time and often add to the nuance of the game. Tests need time to ebb and flow, and scheduling a series right in the middle of rainy season goes beyond any comprehension.

The Monsoon season (in other words rainy season) usually runs from June to October and never before has a Test been scheduled in the months of June, July or August. That is until this year, of course. Administrators also scheduled a one-off Test against India in June of this year. It’s no surprise that was completely washed out by rain, too. It is understandable that schedules are tight, but surely the risk of losing an entire series simply isn’t worth it?

Fans on Twitter were asking the same question after the third consecutive day was washed out between Bangladesh and South Africa.

"

I am wondering which dim wit decided it would be a good idea to arrange a cricket tour to Bangladesh in monsoon season?? #BANvSA #cricket

— Scarlett Louise Gray (@ScarlettLouiseG) August 1, 2015"

The worst part about this scheduling is that it stalls Bangladesh’s progress. They have been a team on the up and gave South Africa a good run for their money in the first Test. That was until rain washed out the last two days.

As already mentioned, schedules are tight and in order for teams to play each other regularly, some risks have to be taken. But this was not even a calculated risk, it was just straight up foolish.

So, what is the solution? For one, cricket could just consider roofs on its stadiums. It will be a costly affair, but if the International Cricket Council had cricket’s best interest at heart, they could subsidise it. Roofing on cricket stadia really needs to be considered sometime in the near future. We’ve already progressed to day-night Tests, so surely roofing is not too far off?

Bangladesh could also consider opting to play Tests on “neutral” territory for the months of their monsoon season. This is far from an ideal solution as home advantage plays a massive role. But with schedules so packed, it’s a viable option. Bangladesh’s “dry” months overlap with a number of other countries who are always going to prioritise playing cricket on home turf when they can. Opting for a neutral venue, like the United Arab Emirates for example, will allow them to play the cricket they need to against the teams they want to.

Players sitting around for days on end is frustrating and a complete waste of their time. It does nobody any good. Broadcasters get frustrated because they have to resort to highlights packages which nobody is watching and possibly lose out on advertising revenue.

If cricket was really bold, it would use these rainy seasons to take the game global. From the United States of America to China, there are many cricket pitches dotted around the globe that could use the rainy season to expand the game’s footprint. Cricket, however, is very much stuck in its ways

This month’s Word Cricket Clown of the month has to give a special mention to career clown Graeme Swann. Swann appeared on Willow Talk, a show hosted by Mark Waugh and Matthew Hayden and tried to impersonate Kevin Pietersen. He spent most of his time mocking the former England player, poking fun at his tattoos and his perceived ego, among other things. Take a listen below.

Now, of course Swann is retired and can do whatever he pleases, but if you are going to make fun of somebody then you might want to try a little bit harder to get the accent right. Swann makes one vaguely funny quip where he, in an attempt to impersonate Pietersen, says: “I am ready to play for my country again, or England if they’ll let me”, poking fun at Pietersen’s South African heritage. It’s a tired joke, though, and says a lot about Swann’s comedic prowess (or rather lack thereof)