English rain theory may not hold water

The number of days with enough rain to stop a match should drop from 13 to 11. But in July the rate of major deluges rise by 17 percent and there are just as many days with light rain.

Groundsmen at Lord’s are resigned to the vagaries of the English weather. One said he had not seen the long range forecasts, and if he had he would not trust them and even if he did it would not affect his pitch preparations. The bookies were hedging their bets.

“We wouldn’t be surprised by anything between a minus-10 snowstorm to a90-degree heat wave,” Graham Sharpe of British bookmakers William Hill said. English umpire Dickie Bird, who officiated in the first three World Cups in England, which all began in the second week of June, said the home team would be boosted by this year’s mid-May start.

“Because the competition is being played in May and early June there is bound to be a lot of moisture on the squares throughout the country," Bird, who has now retired from umpiring, wrote in The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Australia’s captain Steve Waugh, who has made three Ashes tours of England and played county cricket with Somerset, played down the wet pitch factor.“A lot has been said about how they’re going to help the seam bowlers,” he told The Times. “But whenever I’ve played here, the wickets hae been pretty good, so I don’t expect them to do too much.”

One reserve day has been scheduled for each match and two for the final in case rain stops play. Fans will get their money back if fewer than 10 overs are played or ahalf refund for fewer than 24.5.

William Hill’s Sharpe said he had taken one or two enquiries about the opening match being completely rained off, which was a 10-1 shot.

“But most punters are concentrating on the serious matter of who’s going to win,” he said.