Hit for Six Report: Cricket Heading into Climate Danger Zone
By Chris Britt-Searle
“There is no doubt in my mind that today cricket faces its ultimate test. Forget concerns around different formats, TV deals or the battle for eyeballs in a multi-screen age. This challenge is an existential one and it comes in the form of a rapidly changing climate.”
Daren Ganga, former West Indies captain
Six years after publication of the seismic Hit for Six report, comes its sequel - Hit for Six: The Danger Zone. And it is unequivocal - cricket is charging into the climate danger zone and under the biggest threat in its history.
From extreme heat, to increased rainfall, flooding, wild fires and air pollution, cricket is one of the sports most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and, as Professor Mike Tipton states in the report: “This isn’t just about performance — it’s increasingly a question of player safety.”
The report focuses on India - alternately the crucible of modern cricket, the capital of cricketing fandom and the frontline of the climate crisis. Like all cricketing nations, India is experiencing many more days of hazardous heat than it has in the recent past, and this, coupled with humidity and unhealthy air quality, can make playing cricket a danger to players and fans alike. The report reveals that 36 per cent of 2025 IPL matches were played under "Extreme Caution" conditions, with an additional 12 per cent in the "Danger" zone. Indeed, during 2024’s IPL, the owner of Kolkata Knightriders, Shah Rukh Khan, was hospitalised with sunstroke after merely watching their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. A number of top players, including Joe Root voice their concerns about the challenges of playing in India in the report.
There has been a 125 per cent increase in hazardous heat days in Mumbai since 1970, with Thiruvananthapuram recording over 100 such days in 2024 alone. Crucially, the report also platforms voices from the Indian grassroots game, where there are none of the safeguards of franchise or international cricket.
“All of us talk about it. My teammates and I are noticing that cricket doesn’t feel the same. It’s a bit scary because we don’t know how bad it’ll get.”
Mohammad Kaif, Wonders Club, Noida
Concerns for the grassroots aren’t restricted to India. The recent TNT Sports documentary, Playing for our Future, highlighted the precarious state of the amateur game in Australia, with extreme heat and smoke from wildfires forcing many cancellations, particularly in junior leagues, and even contributing to the recent tragic death of amateur cricketer Junaid Zafar Khan in Adelaide. According to Aussie captain and founder of Cricket for Climate, Pat Cummins, “it’s on community cricket… there’s some parts, particularly here in Australia, it’s just too hot in the summer.” Former Aussie opener Simon Katich, who features prominently in this new report, also points out that numerous junior matches have been “washed out due to the excessive rainfall”, including several of his own son’s. As Sir Alistair Cook says in the TNT film:
“Without grassroots cricket, you don't have international cricket, or any other form of cricket.”
Neither is the UK immune. On the day in July 2022 that the UK recorded temperatures north of 40℃ for the first time, England were taking on South Africa in an ODI in Durham. England debutant Matthew Potts was forced from the field suffering with heatstroke after bowling only four overs and reported later that he had been seriously ill:
“An hour after coming off the pitch my heart rate was still 150-160. I was still panting and honestly the next few days it felt like concussion. I had fuzzy memories from the game and I was still getting dizzy spells after exercise.”
The report also features a statement from the ECB, who relay that they have seen increasing need for support from grassroots clubs who have suffered flood damage in recent years. According to their figures, 40% of grounds are likely to be at risk from either flooding or drought in the coming years.
Maia Bouchier, England batter and EcoAthletes champion, who has also contributed, said: “Climate change has been impacting cricket quite dramatically over the last couple of years... The grassroots clubs with fewer resources can struggle to maintain or upgrade their infrastructure to cope.”
Other cricketing nations are facing even greater challenges and often have even fewer resources with which to tackle them. In the West Indies, storms are increasing in strength and frequency, Pakistan is still recovering from the catastrophic flooding that displaced 10 million people, and along with other South Asian countries has experienced increased instances of extreme and debilitating heat, even topping 50℃ in recent years.
This all paints a fairly terrifying picture and all of us who love the game should be urgently paying attention. The cricketing authorities have been slow to act, but there has been some positive progress. Both the ECB and Cricket Australia have implemented heat guidelines and sustainability strategies. The ECB appointed their first sustainability manager, Kathy Gibbs in 2021, as have a number of the major English test venues including Lord’s, The Oval and Old Trafford. Lord’s has been making great strides in sustainability and is now powered by 100% renewable electricity, as is the MCG in Melbourne. Aussie skipper Pat Cummins set up the Cricket for Climate initiative in 2021 and since then they have helped install solar panels on dozens of local clubs, with more to come.
However, more must be done, and urgently. The ICC have been conspicuous in their lack of leadership and must step up. The report sets out a number of updated recommendations designed to help safeguard the game, following on from those in the 2019 report, many of which are yet to be actioned. In the meantime, all cricket lovers - players and fans, from the grassroots to the test arena can play their part to protect the sport we love and the planet we play it on. Follow our work at The Next Test to find out how.
“Cricket cannot escape climate change. But it can make a difference. With its global reach and passionate following, this sport is uniquely positioned to inspire real change.”
Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Climate Action
You can find the full report in the Resources section of our website, along with other useful materials:
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