Deteriorating Outfield in Kanpur, Mushfiq and Team Limited to Batting Shadows Only

Green Park, Kanpur: Apart from the color of the leaves on two trees in the gallery and the seats reserved for spectators, there was no green in sight at Green Park yesterday. The entire field was covered in blue tarpaulin.

However, today the situation was different. There was no rain in Kanpur since morning. Although the sky was filled with clouds, they didn't result in any rain. The covers over the entire field were removed in the morning, and by 10 AM local time, the main pitch was visible.

At 10 AM, the match officials conducted their first inspection of the field. After the inspection, it was announced that the next inspection would take place two hours later. Even after the 12 PM inspection, no decision was reached. Another inspection was scheduled for 2 PM. By then, neither of the two teams had arrived at the stadium from their hotels.

Just before 2 PM, Mushfiqur Rahim was spotted on the field. The unbeaten Mushfiq, accompanied by team operations manager Nafis Iqbal, walked towards the center wicket and did some batting shadow practice for a while. The cheers from the local spectators, who had filled two-thirds of the gallery since morning, grew louder, as did the noise of vuvuzelas.

The Kanpur crowd seemed excited just to witness the activity of the ground staff. Having endured the rain-soaked conditions in the gallery the previous day, they were eager to enjoy the game on a rain-free day.

However, they had to be content with just watching the shadow batting. Like Mushfiq, Tamim Iqbal, part of the broadcasting team, also walked towards the center wicket, microphone in hand, and did some shadow batting, a moment that has already gone viral on social media.

In the final inspection of the field, the umpires made the official announcement: like the second day, the third day ended without a single ball being bowled. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had already expressed his disappointment over the lack of play yesterday, and it’s evident that the team's frustration has only grown with another day of no action.

The Indian dressing room is likely feeling even more disappointed. Sitting at the top of the World Test Championship 2023 points table, India would have aimed to secure 12 more points by winning the Kanpur Test, just as they did in Chennai. However, with two days lost to rain, it will be challenging for Rohit Sharma’s team to achieve a favorable result.

Even if they perform their best, the hosts will still have to depend on the weather and the state of Green Park's outfield, which the ground staff failed to make playable despite having enough time.

Indian journalist Bimal Kumar, who is covering the Kanpur Test, speculated that the condition of this questionable outfield might make it difficult to host international matches in Kanpur in the future. Green Park, which already rarely hosts international matches, will have to compete with some of Uttar Pradesh's outstanding stadiums. Even in 2024, Green Park remains distant from modernization, raising concerns about when it might host another Test match in the future.