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<!DOCTYPE html>    <html lang="en">  <head> <title>I'm your biggest fan</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta name="keywords" content="Photo feature, Deepti Unni, cricket magazine, cricket features, photo feature, interviews, ESPN, Cricinfo" /> <meta name="description" content="Drying pitches for games is a breeze" /> <meta name="robots" content="index, follow" /> <meta name="googlebot" content="index, follow" /> <script type="text/javascript"> if ((navigator.userAgent).toLowerCase().indexOf('ipad') >= 0) { document.write('<meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=885878575" />'); } </script> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1459289/i-m-your-biggest-fan"/> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="260890547115" /> <meta property="fb:admins" content="507509800,543647230,521294616,502164596,548845180,100000100658108,738070288" /> <meta property="og:title" content="I'm your biggest fan"/> <meta property="og:description" content="Drying pitches for games is a breeze"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Cricinfo" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1459289/i-m-your-biggest-fan"/> <link rel="image_src" href="https://i.thecricketmonthly.com/espncricinfo/cricket_monthly/og-the-cricket-monthly.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="I'm your biggest fan"> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Drying pitches for games is a breeze"> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1459289/i-m-your-biggest-fan"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@cricketmonthly"> <meta itemprop="name" content="I'm your biggest fan"> <meta itemprop="description" content="Drying pitches for games is a breeze"> <meta itemprop="publisher" content="The Cricket Monthly" /> <meta itemprop="url" content="https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1459289/i-m-your-biggest-fan"/> <meta itemprop="editor" content="The Cricket Monthly" /> <meta itemprop="headline" content="I'm your biggest fan"/> <meta itemprop="inLanguage" content="English"/> <meta itemprop="sourceOrganization" content="ESPN Digital Media Pvt Ltd" /> <meta itemprop="keywords" content="Photo feature, Deepti Unni, cricket magazine, cricket features, photo feature, interviews, ESPN, Cricinfo"/> <meta itemprop="datePublished" content="2024-11-13T002:32:44+00:00"> <meta itemprop="dateModified" content="2024-11-14T004:38:17+00:00"> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"ESPN Digital Media Pvt Ltd","url":"https:\/\/thecricketmonthly.com","logo":"https:\/\/i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/cricket_monthly/tcm_updated.png","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"A Wing DivyaSree Chambers, O Shaughnessy Road, Richmond Town","addressLocality":"Bangalore","addressRegion":"India","postalCode":"560025","Telephone":"+91-080-40202742"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/cricketmonthly"]}</script> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","url":"https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1459289/i-m-your-biggest-fan","articleBody":"Last month Pakistan kicked up a bit of a storm when they decided to dry-roast the Rawalpindi pitch to make it spinner-friendly for the Test-series decider against England. The giant fans and patio heaters deployed caused no little sniggering, but spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali had the last laugh, sharing 19 wickets between them. Attempts at drying the pitch over the years have ranged from the sophisticated to the downright comical. Also last month, Afghanistan's one-off Test against New Zealand was abandoned without a ball bowled despite the ground staff's best attempts at getting the pitch and outfield ready after persistent rain. Sometimes, it's a just a matter of working with what you've got, which in the case of Guwahati in 2020 was travel hair dryers and steam irons, possibly commandeered from the players' dressing rooms. In the past, all it has taken to mop up the outfield is an army of groundspeople armed with sponges.And other times it's taken the actual army. Pakistan have long called on their army and air-force choppers when they need a quick spin-cycle.Unseasonable rains dogged England's 2004 tour of Namibia, and the first match was delayed by a wet outfield. A helicopter was called in as a desperate measure to dry out the pitch, but bits of the waterlogged outfield had to be dug out and replaced with turf from other parts of the Wanderers ground in Windhoek. And apparently the most able-bodied man for the job was Namibia captain Deon Kotze. But you know you're really in trouble when you have to call in amphibious vehicles to negotiate the outfield.In Hyderabad, during the 1997 Women's World Cup, they were serving up pitches fresh off the grill.You can fight fire with water, so perhaps it will also work the other way round?","articleSection":"November 2024 issue","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1459289/i-m-your-biggest-fan"},"headline":"I'm your biggest fan","description":"Drying pitches for games is a breeze","datePublished":"2024-11-13T002:32:44+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-14T004:38:17+00:00","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","ESPNcricinfo":"Organizations name","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/espncricinfo.com","logo":"https:\/\/www.espncricinfo.com/static/images/logo.png","width":"125","height":"26"}},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Deepti Unni"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/cricket_monthly/tcm_updated.png","width":"499","height":"91"}} </script> <meta property="og:image" content="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/389500/389582.jpg" /> <meta property="twitter:image" content="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/389500/389582.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:image:width" content="1400" /> <meta name="twitter:image:height" content="933" /> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/cricket_monthly/favicon.png"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/png" href="https://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/cricket_monthly/favicon.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="74x74" href="https://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/cricket_monthly/apple-icon-74x74.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="114x114" href="https://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/cricket_monthly/apple-icon-114x114.png"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://i.imgci.com/css/common.0.0.2.css?d=1715318856152" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://i.imgci.com/css/shotStory.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/c?css=fonts/bentonsans.css,fonts/bentonsansbold.css,fonts/bentonsanslight.css,fonts/bentonsansmedium.css,fonts/bentonsanscond.css,fonts/bentonsanscondbold.css,fonts/bentonsanscondmedium.css" type="text/css" media="screen" charset="utf-8"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://i.imgci.com/assets/typography/fonts/194728/4AAECFEDF90220F0C.css" /> <script src="https://i.imgci.com/js/min/isMobile.min.js"></script> <script src="https://i.imgci.com/js/respond.src.js?1602196031"></script>   <script src="https://i.imgci.com/js/jquery-1.9.1.min.js"></script> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> if (typeof $ === 'undefined'){ var $ = jQuery; } </script> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> function getCookie(name) { var start = document.cookie.indexOf( name + "=" ); var len = start + name.length + 1; if ( ( !start ) && ( name != document.cookie.substring( 0, name.length ) ) ) { return null; } if ( start == -1 ) return null; var end = document.cookie.indexOf( ';', len ); if ( end == -1 ) end = document.cookie.length; return unescape( document.cookie.substring( len, end ) ); } cqanswer = 'sg'; ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000; var ad_counter = 1; var ad_counter_mobile = 1; var devicenames = ['iPhone','BB10','Android','Windows Phone','Fennec','GoBrowser','NokiaBrowser','S40OviBrowser','SymbianOS','NokiaN73','Symbian','Opera Mini','Opera Mobi','Minimo','IEMobile','Mobile Safari','BlackBerry','sonyericsson']; </script>  <script type="text/javascript"> var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; (function() { var gads = document.createElement("script"); gads.async = true; gads.type = "text/javascript"; var useSSL = true; // var useSSL = "https:" == document.location.protocol; gads.src = (useSSL ? 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The <a href="https://x.com/TheBarmyArmy/status/1848273763059523732" target=_blank>giant fans and patio heaters</a> deployed caused no little sniggering, but spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali had the last laugh, <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-in-pakistan-2024-25-1442205/pakistan-vs-england-3rd-test-1442217/full-scorecard">sharing 19 wickets between them</a>. </p> <p> Attempts at drying the pitch over the years have ranged from the sophisticated to the downright comical. Also last month, Afghanistan's one-off Test against New Zealand was <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/afghanistan-tour-of-india-2024-1444645/afghanistan-vs-new-zealand-only-test-1444648/match-report">abandoned without a ball bowled</a> despite the ground staff's best attempts at getting the pitch and outfield ready after persistent rain. </p> <p> <p> <section class="video_section"> <div> <img class="img_fullwidth" alt="Fans have never got closer to the action than they did at Noida" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/390800/390826.jpg" /> <p> Fans have never got closer to the action than they did at Noida <span class="copyright"> Money Sharma / © AFP/Getty Images </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> </p> <p> Sometimes, it's a just a matter of working with what you've got, which in the case of <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/sri-lanka-tour-of-india-2019-20-1202239/india-vs-sri-lanka-1st-t20i-1202242/match-report">Guwahati in 2020</a> was travel hair dryers and steam irons, possibly commandeered from the players' dressing rooms. </p> <p> <p> <section class="image_large"> <div> <img alt="Hairy spa: the Guwahati pitch gets the wash and blow-dry treatment" title="Hairy spa: the Guwahati pitch gets the wash and blow-dry treatment" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/299000/299071.jpg" /> <p> Hairy spa: the Guwahati pitch gets the wash and blow-dry treatment <span class="copyright"> © BCCI </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> </p> <p> In the past, all it has taken to mop up the outfield is an army of groundspeople armed with sponges. </p> <p></p> <p> <p> <section class="image_large"> <div> <img alt="Sponge job, spare hands: ground staff mop up the outfield in Rawalpindi during the 1996 World Cup" title="Sponge job, spare hands: ground staff mop up the outfield in Rawalpindi during the 1996 World Cup" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/390800/390811.jpg" /> <p> Sponge job, spare hands: ground staff mop up the outfield in Rawalpindi during the 1996 World Cup <span class="copyright"> Mike Hewitt / © Getty Images </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> </p> <p> And other times it's taken the actual army. Pakistan have long called on their army and air-force choppers when they need a quick spin-cycle. </p> <p> <p> <section class="image_large"> <div> <img alt="This blows: the PSL calls for the heavy artillery" title="This blows: the PSL calls for the heavy artillery" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/390800/390824.jpg" /> <p> This blows: the PSL calls for the heavy artillery <span class="copyright"> Arif Ali / © AFP/Getty Images </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> </p> <p> Unseasonable rains dogged England's 2004 tour of Namibia, and the first match was delayed by a wet outfield. A helicopter was called in as a desperate measure to dry out the pitch, but bits of the waterlogged outfield had to be dug out and replaced with turf from other parts of the Wanderers ground in Windhoek. And apparently the most able-bodied man for the job was Namibia captain Deon Kotze. </p> <p></p> <p> <p> <section class="image_large"> <div> <img alt="Slog overs: Koetze's hard work paid off and the matches went ahead, but Namibia lost to England 2-0" title="Slog overs: Koetze's hard work paid off and the matches went ahead, but Namibia lost to England 2-0" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/390800/390821.jpg" /> <p> Slog overs: Koetze's hard work paid off and the matches went ahead, but Namibia lost to England 2-0 <span class="copyright"> © Getty Images </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> </p> <p> But you know you're really in trouble when you have to call in amphibious vehicles to negotiate the outfield. </p> <p> <p> <section class="video_section"> <div> <img class="img_fullwidth" alt="Newlands groundsman Christo Erasmus dries the outfield with a hovercraft" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/390800/390822.jpg" /> <p> Newlands groundsman Christo Erasmus dries the outfield with a hovercraft <span class="copyright"> © Getty Images </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> </p> <p></p> <p> In Hyderabad, during the 1997 Women's World Cup, they were serving up pitches fresh off the grill. </p> <p></p> <p> <p> <section class="image_large"> <div> <img alt="A good day to dry hard: Clare Taylor (left) and Charlotte Edwards have a braai before their match against South Africa" title="A good day to dry hard: Clare Taylor (left) and Charlotte Edwards have a braai before their match against South Africa" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/99000/99010.jpg" /> <p> A good day to dry hard: Clare Taylor (left) and Charlotte Edwards have a braai before their match against South Africa <span class="copyright"> © Getty Images </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> </p> <p></p> <p> You can fight fire with water, so perhaps it will also work the other way round? </p> <p> <section class="image_large"> <div> <img alt="Ground staff set parts of the pitch alight to dry out damp areas before a tour match between Windward Islands and England" title="Ground staff set parts of the pitch alight to dry out damp areas before a tour match between Windward Islands and England" src="https://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/227300/227349.jpg" /> <p> Ground staff set parts of the pitch alight to dry out damp areas before a tour match between Windward Islands and England <span class="copyright"> Adrian Murrell / © Getty Images </span> </p> </div> </section> </p> <p class="endcredits" id="magAthr">Deepti Unni is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo</p> <p class="copyright" id="copyrt">© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.</p> <style type="text/css">.ob-widget-header{font-family:bentonsansbold !important;}</style> <script type="text/javascript"> __espni_outbrain = {"cluster":"www","desktop":{"www":"AR_24"},"mobile":{"www":"MB_11"},"outbrain_compliant":"Y"}; 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