The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : HCA gears up to prepare bouncy wickets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 12, 2007
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Sport - Cricket

HCA gears up to prepare bouncy wickets

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: In line with the BCCI directive to develop tracks that pack bounce, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has got down to business.

At Gymkhana ground, the HCA's headquarters, the square's top layer is being re-laid. Explaining the need to change the surface, its secretary and former Test off-spinner Shivlal Yadav said the grass was dying due to the diminishing clay content.

Shortly before the ongoing summer coaching camps commenced, clay from the drying up lake beds of Ramayampet in Medak district were requisitioned. In each strip, the clay content was increased to 58 per cent, the remaining made up of black soil that's hardened by sunshine. This aided bounce, but could soak up water too.

Deeply attached

Whenever he is in town, Shivlal is at the Gymkhana each morning, monitoring the work himself, assisted by Dutta Nalge.

With cricketers complaining of dust allergy, the nets have also been revamped. Two tracks therefore are made of astro-turf. The third is a matting wicket to help hone horizontal strokes like the pull and cut, said Shivlal, who's the Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy's overall director.

To counter the rain-induced sinking ground level of the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium's square and 30-yard area, fresh layers of soil are being added, so that the square alone will register a three-inch rise.

The HCA is effecting changes in pitches at the ECIL and NFC grounds, in addition to the Army Ordnance Corp's Thapar Stadium and the M.L. Jaisimha Stadium at Amberpet. It is also laying three turf pitches at Nizam College.

Shivlal said the HCA had also sought 15 acres of land at Jawaharnagar from the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to lay turf and matting wickets. To carry this cause further, he said it was willing to offer its pitch-laying expertise to district associations which had their own land.

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