Dew Factor in Cricket Explained — Why It Matters in T20 and ODI Matches
What the dew factor is in cricket, why it affects T20 and evening ODI matches, how dew benefits the batting side, and what teams do to counteract its effect on bowling.
What Is the Dew Factor?
Dew is moisture that condenses onto the grass outfield and pitch surface as temperatures drop in the evening. In subcontinent cricket — where many T20 matches are played under floodlights at night — dew becomes a significant variable during the second innings. The moisture makes the ball wet and slippery, preventing bowlers from gripping it correctly to generate swing, seam, or spin. A wet ball is also harder to control at pace.
Why Dew Helps Batting Teams
The team batting in the second innings benefits from dew in two ways: the ball becomes harder to bowl accurately when wet, increasing the likelihood of full and wide deliveries that are easier to hit; and the outfield, moistened by dew, becomes faster — the ball skids through to the boundary more quickly and more often than in dry conditions. Combined, these factors improve run rate and boundary frequency for the team batting second. This is why winning the toss in dew-heavy conditions almost always leads to the captain electing to field first.
How Bowlers Try to Counteract Dew
Bowlers and fielders wipe the ball constantly on their clothing to remove surface moisture. However, the ball re-wets on contact with the outfield within 1–2 deliveries. Some bowlers deliberately bowl fuller (yorkers) in dew-heavy conditions because a fuller delivery skids through quickly and is harder to scoop or clear. Spin bowlers struggle most in dew — a wet ball resists finger spin, making it hard to grip and impart revolutions. Many teams avoid using spinners in the death overs in heavy dew conditions.
Dew Factor and Match Toss
At venues with a known dew factor, the toss becomes highly consequential. Teams winning the toss in an evening T20 in Dubai, Mumbai, or Dhaka almost universally elect to field first — they want the bowling attack working in dry conditions while the batting side fields under dew. This creates a statistical bias: second-innings teams win higher proportions of matches at certain dew-heavy venues compared to conditions without dew.
Frequently asked questions
Can dew be removed from a cricket ground?
Grounds staff use super-soppers (motorised rollers) and towels to manage outfield moisture, but dew cannot be fully eliminated from a night-time match. Ground covers and heating systems can reduce dew buildup but not eliminate it in humid climates.
Is there dew in Test cricket?
Dew affects day-night Test matches (pink ball Tests played under lights). In traditional day Tests ending by 6pm, dew is typically not a factor. Day-night Tests at venues like Adelaide see dew affect the evening session (roughly 7pm onwards), which is part of the challenge of the format.
Which format is most affected by dew?
T20 cricket — especially franchise tournaments in South Asia played entirely under lights — is most affected by dew. The short format means the entire second innings can take place in peak dew conditions, maximising the bowling handicap.