Outgoing ICC president David Morgan said yesterday that day/night Test cricket would be a possibility in the near future. The issue is to be discussed in ICC's Cricket Committee meeting that starts today in London
Outgoing ICC president David Morgan said yesterday that day/night Test cricket would be a possibility in the near future. The issue is to be discussed in ICC's Cricket Committee meeting that starts today in London.
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| Agarkar (left) and Paranjpe |
Two India cricketers, who were part of the Mumbai teamu00a0 which played the only day/night Ranji Trophy final in the 1996-97 season, welcomed the possibility but only if the basics of Test cricket are not compromised.
"From the spectators' point of view, it would be a great thing to happen. But you need to make sure that the ball will last 80 overs and does not have to be changed after 50 overs as it happened in the final (where white balls were used). With the ball being changed frequently, the role of the spinners diminished," said Jatin Paranjpe, who scored 111 in the final that Mumbai won beating Delhi.
Speedster Ajit Agarkar agrees with Paranjpe and adds: "The crowd will surely come in but day/night games will alter the dynamics of Test cricket and that's not a good thing. Also, I wouldn't like to see coloured clothing.
Test cricket is great the way it is," Agarkar said, adding that the change in format could make things interesting.
"There will be dew in theu00a0 night instead of the early morning moisture. So, a bowler's approach will change.
Also, the seam of the red SG ball used for Tests in India does not flatten out quickly and that helps the bowlers for long periods.
"So, we need to make sure that the balls which will be used have the same characteristics as the red ones. Otherwise, it will be very tough on the bowlers," he added. Experiments are currently on to check the feasibilty of using pink balls for day/night Test matches.
For a batsman, Paranjpe felt, not much would change.
"The light will change from natural to artificial but I don't see that hampering a batsman. From a batting point of view, I don't think playing day/night Tests would be a big problem."
