'It really needs to get its act together': How climate change is threatening cricket's future

Playing cricket is already hard enough, with techniques and abilities being tested by skillful bowlers and batters who are looking to launch you out of the ground. Now add in a rapidly changing climate and the very future of the sport as we know it is at risk.

Whilst conditions for cricket vary around the world, the weather needs to be set fair for the game to go ahead, any rain can put a stop to play.

Whilst cricket in places like England and New Zealand are perhaps more likely to be rained off, in some warmer countries it is increasing heat that is causing games to be abandoned, with Australia implementing a ‘Heat Stress Index’ to ensure player safety.

According to a study by Showthelove.org, “of all the major pitch sports, cricket will be hardest hit by climate change”.

What the weather is doing also changes how cricket is played, with overcast conditions causing the ball to ‘swing’ more in the air and dry, hot conditions often leading to dusty pitches where the ball ‘spins’, favouring slower bowling.

Russell Seymour from British Association for Sustainable Sport stated that “Climate change will amplify these changes. Over time we will also see changes to soil-moisture levels, and higher temperatures will bring drier air, then drier pitches and a drier outfield, changing all features of the game.”

According to the Showthelove report, the rate of rain-affected matches has doubled since 2011, a shocking statistic that shows extreme weather is already causing problems for the sport.

Comprised of multiple countries, including the biggest cricket-playing nations in the world in India and Pakistan, with Bangladesh included as well, the Subcontinent has become the epicentre for cricket in recent years, it is also an area where climate change is already causing dramatic changes in temperatures year on year.

In June of 2022, the West Indies toured Pakistan, whilst June is usually one of the hottest months, last year’s temperatures rose to over 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) causing start times to be pushed back to not endanger players.

Anyone who has watched cricket in India over the years will have surely seen a slight haze across the grounds, but at times this air pollution has become so thick it has caused games to be stopped like in 2017 in a game between India and Sri Lanka in New Delhi.

The West Indies is a side comprised of various island nations in the Caribbean and boasts a storied cricketing history, but with extreme weather, including hurricanes becoming more common, the grounds and pitches are in serious danger of being washed away.

Australia has regularly dealt with forest fires, but the wildfires of 2019 and 2020 were beyond anything previously witnessed. They got so bad Cricket Australia had contingency plans if the smoke became too dense to be unsafe during a test match between Australia and New Zealand.

July of 2022 saw recorded temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) recorded in England for the first time, England was playing South Africa in a One Day International at the time and despite extra drinks breaks, frozen towels and ice packs used to keep players cool, England’s Matthew Potts still left the game with heat exhaustion.

There have been many players who in recent years have been outspoken at their worries around climate change, not least Australia captain Pat Cummins who wrote “global warming is already wreaking havoc on our sport”. Cummins also refused to participate in any adverts for Australian cricket’s main sponsor at the time, Alinta Energy.

The International Cricket Council has yet to sign the UN’s sport and climate initiative with expert David Goldblatt saying this inaction is ”is like sticking your head in the sand denial…Cricket really needs to get its act together. A whole bunch of trouble is not really far away.”

Given cricket’s popularity across the globe, it isn’t going anywhere any time soon, but the future is looking a little murky for the world’s second most popular sport. With temperatures rising and extreme weather becoming more common, the game beloved by so many may soon see drastic changes.