Fan-cy that: Rawalpindi tries something revolutionary © AFP/Getty Images

Last month Pakistan kicked up a bit of a storm when they decided to dry-roast the Rawalpindi pitch to make it spinner-friendly for the Test-series decider against England. The giant fans and patio heaters deployed caused no little sniggering, but spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali had the last laugh, sharing 19 wickets between them.

Attempts at drying the pitch over the years have ranged from the sophisticated to the downright comical. Also last month, Afghanistan's one-off Test against New Zealand was abandoned without a ball bowled despite the ground staff's best attempts at getting the pitch and outfield ready after persistent rain.

Fans have never got closer to the action than they did at Noida Money Sharma / © AFP/Getty Images

Sometimes, it's a just a matter of working with what you've got, which in the case of Guwahati in 2020 was travel hair dryers and steam irons, possibly commandeered from the players' dressing rooms.

Hairy spa: the Guwahati pitch gets the wash and blow-dry treatment © BCCI

In the past, all it has taken to mop up the outfield is an army of groundspeople armed with sponges.

Sponge job, spare hands: ground staff mop up the outfield in Rawalpindi during the 1996 World Cup Mike Hewitt / © Getty Images

And other times it's taken the actual army. Pakistan have long called on their army and air-force choppers when they need a quick spin-cycle.

This blows: the PSL calls for the heavy artillery Arif Ali / © AFP/Getty Images

Unseasonable rains dogged England's 2004 tour of Namibia, and the first match was delayed by a wet outfield. A helicopter was called in as a desperate measure to dry out the pitch, but bits of the waterlogged outfield had to be dug out and replaced with turf from other parts of the Wanderers ground in Windhoek. And apparently the most able-bodied man for the job was Namibia captain Deon Kotze.

Slog overs: Koetze's hard work paid off and the matches went ahead, but Namibia lost to England 2-0 © Getty Images

But you know you're really in trouble when you have to call in amphibious vehicles to negotiate the outfield.

Newlands groundsman Christo Erasmus dries the outfield with a hovercraft © Getty Images

In Hyderabad, during the 1997 Women's World Cup, they were serving up pitches fresh off the grill.

A good day to dry hard: Clare Taylor (left) and Charlotte Edwards have a braai before their match against South Africa © Getty Images

You can fight fire with water, so perhaps it will also work the other way round?

Ground staff set parts of the pitch alight to dry out damp areas before a tour match between Windward Islands and England Adrian Murrell / © Getty Images

Deepti Unni is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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