Atkinson at work

The imposing figure of Andy Atkinson seems to be all over Warner Park. Sometimes he's gardening the pitch, sometimes tending to the outfield, sometimes instructing the ground staff, sometimes trying to do all of these. The bulk is unmistakable, the enthusiasm admirable.

Today, when a bout of showers interrupted preparations, he ensured that the covers were completely in place, got drenched in the process and only then left. Hardly a few seconds after the showers stopped, he was behind the wheel of the ‘super-sopper’, spinning away at various angles.

India have seen him earlier, most prominently when they went to Pakistan in 2003-04. He was accused, by Inzamam-ul-Haq, of preparing pitches that didn't favour his bowlers. The battle got so intense that, when Inzamam accused him of shaving off the grass on the pitch, Atkinson hit back by shaving off his moustache, cheekily adding, "Inzy asked me to shave it off".

A couple of days before the game, the grass on the pitch might have fooled everyone. Atkinson, though, was clean shaven and he lived up to his previous record by shaving off most of the green when match eve arrived.