It is an area in which the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would do well to take a lesson from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) – rather, from its affiliated state associations. We are referring to the art of covering the playing surface at international venues to avoid periods of play/matches being washed out following heavy rains. So far, four matches in the ongoing World Cup have been washed out, three of them without a delivery being bowled, after rains made the outfield unplayable in the absence of proper ground covers.