Since the last few years since
the inception and rapid increase in popularity of t
-20 cricket, the ICC have been forced to
make some changes in the ODI format so as to make it more interesting and more
spectator friendly { debatable } as a
result too much of tinkering with the ODI game has taken place which has led to
a whole lot of confusion amongst the viewers as far as ODI’s is concerned. I would
like to think that instead of making cosmetic changes to ODI cricket every few
months, it is time that the cricket administrators the world over have a
serious look at the proposal of Day and Night Test Cricket. For the betterment
of the cricket as a sport it is absolutely mandatory for the ICC to woo crowds at the test level. It is widely
regarded that test cricket is the
ultimate test for a cricketer and
every cricketer worth his salt
acknowledges the importance of succeeding at this highest level of cricket. Whenever
there have been suggestions for test cricket to be played at night, there have
been some skeptics who have raised a few points. Let us have a look at some of
the possible hurdles in the way of day and night test cricket and some possible solutions which are
available.
Purists
not in the favour of tampering with the test cricket format- there are
many cricket purists ( read skeptics ) who believe that test cricket should not
be touched at all and whatever changes have to be made must be at the limited
over’s format. While it is true that test cricket is undoubtedly the pinnacle
of all formats of cricket therefore it is all the more necessary to safeguard
test cricket from the growing onslaught of T- 20 . There are many pundits who believe
that test cricket will not fade away but they must equally understand that by
merely stating these things, the interest in test cricket which is dwindling
rapidly, it will be of no help but
drastic measures will have to be taken in order to preserve test cricket. The crowds
seen at test cricket are pathetic to say the least. Even at major venues like Mumbai
and Kolkata the stadiums are merely 30 –
40 % of the full capacity. Barring a few marquee contests like the Ashes or the
old rivalries like India – Australia or Australia – South Africa the rest of
the tests are watched by virtually a
handful of people at the cricket grounds
Use of
alternate colour of leather balls. – Whenever the subject of day and
night tests is raised the use of an alternate colour of ball is the Achilles heel.
I have often been astounded that the world has made such progress in various walks of life but we
cannot find a cricket ball of an appropriate colour which can be used for day
and night test cricket. The pink colour
ball has been tried with some success at the county level and could be
tried for test cricket at night. With the night cricket comes the issue of the
dew which is an important factor in the
subcontinent. My
response to people who raise this issue conveniently forget the fact that
majority of ODI cricket is played during night time and if the conditions are
the same for both the teams then it should not be any hindrance at test level. Even today innumerable ODI matches are played
where the batting side chasing finds it invariably easier to score runs as the
wet ball comes on to the bat a lot
quicker and the spinners find it difficult to grip as it feels as a bar of
soap. Over a period of 5 days whichever
team copes with the dew will eventually fare better
during the post lunch and tea session. Moreover
it is not as if all the venues around the world have dew at night and surely the scheduling of the
tests can be done to avoid such venues where dew plays a huge role at night. Even
in the sub continent tests can be played during
the month of March and April to avoid dew and also the scorching sun during the day time.
Too much
hue and cry about petty issues – During a day test match we have often
seen that the umpires do not start the
game until the playing conditions ie the pitch and the surrounding out field
are absolutely bone dry with a view to ensuring player safety and avoiding
risky injuries. While on the contrary the scenario changes drastically for an
ODI or a T-20 where some allowance for a damp
outfield is made and the game is started far quickly as compared to tests
keeping the commercial interests and the huge crowd gathering in mind. The final
of the recently concluded Champions Trophy which India won is a classic example
where rules were clearly bended and the schedule cut off time for start of play
was sensibly extended keeping in mind
the huge occasion. Here in comes my
point that if a result of an ODI is as important then just because tests are
played over a period of 5 days it does not mean that different yardsticks as
far as the playing conditions should be
applied for tests. In fact the ICC should step in and ensure that test cricket is
made more result oriented. Too often a
lot of hue and cry is made about bad light where the umpire decides the time to
go off the field and very often after the schedule close of play there is
bright sunlight especially in countries like England and Australis in summers
and no play is possible just because a silly rule
states that the schedule time for play is over for the day. This I think is
deplorable and ludicrous to say the least . I am reminded of an ODI in Sharjah
between India and Pakistan in the mid 90’s where the playing conditions were so dark and yet the match was continued even as the
street lights were on and neither the
batsmen nor the fielders were able to see the ball and all this was done to
ensure the match was completed because Pakistan
were in an advantageous position and they eventually went on to win. I would bet my bottom dollar that if it would
have been a test match the play would have been called long before it actually
ended.
Spectator
friendly timings – if the tests are played during night there will be a
tremendous increase in viewership all across
as majority of the working class public will be able to watch the matches after
returning from work and even the crowds at the venues will be increased
manifold. It is often taken for granted that the consume prefers the shorter form of the game, while this is
true to some extent the consumer is also
interested in watching a good contest
and some of test matches in recent times have been exhilarating to say
the least and the viewers have enjoyed a keenly fought contest albeit in a test.
During night time the spectators do not have to sit in the sun for the
whole day and they have some respite and can easily watch the cricket. Eventually a player is also lifted by the fact
that there is a large set of crowd which is supporting him and
nobody wants to play test cricket with just a handful of spectators in the stadium bearing a deserted look.
The ICC can look to implement
night cricket at the domestic level and
then improvements can be applied during a test match.
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