The International Cricket Council used a chemical spray to reduce the impact of dew on Wednesday's Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and New Zealand, saying it was in the interests of a fair contest.

Excessive dew late in the evening often tilts the balance in favour of teams batting second in day-night matches. The dew makes the pitch fresh and the bowlers face problems in gripping the ball that gets damp after rolling over a moist outfield.

The ICC said it sought to ``knock the dew factor for a six'' by reducing the moisture in the ground.

The chemical APSA-80, commonly used in agriculture, was sprayed on the outfield at Mohali.

``Dew and the effect it has on day-night cricket has been something that everyone is conscious of,'' David Richardson, the ICC's cricket operations manager, said in a statement.

``Although it has not played a major role in the Champions Trophy so far, we're keen that should remain the case. Every match should be a fair contest between bat and ball.''

Richardson said the decision to use the spray was approved by the tournament's technical committee.

He said if the experiment proved successful, ``the spraying procedure will likely be used at other venues where dew is expected to form.''

Last week, the ICC sprayed polyvinyl acetate on a pitch in Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium, seeking to bind the surface so that it would last 100 overs.

``We'll also ensure that outfields are not watered on the day of a match, and that they are cut shorter to reduce the amount of grass that is available for dew to cling to,'' Richardson said.