Mohali dew may turn out to be key factor

Mohali: Evening dew could play a decisive role in the opening Champions Trophy match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh here today.

With winter round the corner in north India, the dew factor at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here will be a crucial factor not just in this match but also in the four other matches to be played in this 10-nation tournament.

"We have all day-and- night matches here. Dew will be an important factor, particularly in matches towards October end," PCA curator Daljit Singh said.

The temperature over this region is expected to drop by five to eight degrees in this month, marking the onset of the winter.

Other venues for the Champions Trophy Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur were not expected to have as much dew as Mohali, near Chandigarh.

Daljit said the opening match would be a testing ground to know how much effect dew will have on the games scheduled for October 25, 27, 29 and the first semi-final November 1.

Though the temperature in and around the city has been hovering around a maximum of 34-35 degrees and a minimum of 19-20 degrees for the last three-four days, this is likely to drop considerably by the month-end when all the important matches are scheduled to be played here.

The last three-four days, however, have been unusually warm after a drop in temperatures witnessed last week.

Daljit said that dew would have an important role to play for competing teams in the final 20 overs of their matches. New Zealand face Pakistan here on October 25, while Pakistan play South Africa on October 27.

India will lock horns with world champions Australia on October 29. The first semifinal will be on November 1.