DEW FACTOR IN CRICKET

Why in news: Australia choosing to field 1^st in ICC World Cup due to dew factor.

DEW FORMATION:

During the day, the surface of the earth is hotter than the air around it. In the nighttime, the reverse becomes true. The air remains warm while the crust, which releases heat quickly, cools down. Because there is a difference between the temperature of the earth and the air around its surface, molecules of water vapour condense in the air and form a layer on the grass. 

DEW FACTOR IN CRICKET: The dew factor in cricket refers to the effect that dew has on the playing conditions and the behaviour of the ball.

EFFECT OF DEW

BOWLERS: Gripping the ball becomes difficult. Accuracy of the bowlers is thus reduced.

FIELDERS: Outfield becomes slippery hence they find it difficult to maintain balance. Ball being slippery due to dew, chances of missed catches are high.

BATSMEN:  

Advantage:

Having wet grass because of dew can make the ball travel faster because there is less friction between the ball and the grass.

Balls by fast bowlers gets slowed down allowing them more time to react.

Disadvantage:

But when a batsman hits the ball aerially and it bounces on the turf, it is more likely to make a dent in the soft ground and ‘plug’. This means that a lot of the momentum of the ball will be stopped, making it harder to get to the boundary.

Also ball becomes heavier due to soaking up of moisture, hich means the batsmen will have to play slightly more forceful shots if they want the ball to run away to the boundary.

Thus overall batsmen have an advantage over bowlers due to dew. Hence most teams elect to bat during the 2^nd innings if they win the toss.