Key to Asia Cup win: Dubai curator has a message for Team India and toss decisions

The Asia Cup 2025 will be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where dew is going to be one of the biggest factors. Former Dubai curator Tony Hemming, who prepared pitches in the UAE for a decade, has explained why batting under lights becomes much easier and why teams must prefer to chase in these conditions.

Hemming, who helped build pitches at the Dubai International Stadium and the ICC Academy, told The Indian Express that the humidity in September is usually very high and temperatures fall quickly in the evenings, which creates a lot of dew. Once the ball gets wet, it becomes harder for bowlers to grip and swing.

“If a team puts a score on the board, say 200 runs, their bowlers, in the chase, are using cross seam. So if the ball hits the shiny side, it’s going to carry through really quickly and fast. If the ball hits the seam, it’s going to hold it up. So with the new ball, you probably see carry to start with. And then after 10 overs, the ball’s going to soften off and you’re going to see it holding, it’s sticking,” Hemming said.

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“Number one, the dew hits the surface by then, and the surface is getting moisture in the pitch. So that’s what’s happening. Now, whether to say that’s due to change in the pitch or the change of the ball or the change of the bowler’s behaviour — I think when you look at real science, the surface definitely changes. The pitch changes only if it’s going to be watered. So watering, in this case, is the dew-fall.”

“The ball will get wet. The ball will change in its moisture-holding capacity in the leather. If you lose that lacquer coating, the ball’s going to absorb the moisture. And the ball’s going to absorb the moisture through the seam area. There’s no lacquer coating in the seam area,” Hemming explained.

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Robin Singh says conditions will be perfect to chase

Former India cricketer Robin Singh, who has been UAE’s head coach in the past and knows the conditions well, also echoed what Hemming said. Robin believes that dew will have a major impact in the upcoming Asia Cup and teams will prefer to chase in those conditions.

“It will be scorching heat, so bowling first is safe. You will feel more in the game because at this time, the pitches are usually fresh. There will be some grass. In Dubai, the bounce will be low, so spinners will also be in play,” Robin was quoted as saying to The Indian Express.

“Dew will be a huge factor. Since it is the middle of the summer, the evenings will definitely see dew, which means this will be a tournament where the conditions will be perfect to chase. The conditions will definitely be batting friendly, but teams that bat first will have a totally different challenge,” Robin added.

This means one thing for India, which is that if they win the toss, they should bowl first. Defending scores in night games in the UAE has always been tough, be it in the IPL 2021 or the T20 World Cup the same year.

In the IPL 2021 second leg, only four out of 13 matches in Dubai were won by teams defending totals. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, 12 of the 13 games at Dubai were won by chasing sides. Abu Dhabi has been a bit better for teams batting first, but dew still played a major role.

The Asia Cup 2025 will be held in the T20 format from September 9 to 28. India will play their opening match against the hosts UAE on September 10. The blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan is scheduled for September 14 in Dubai.