CWC 2003 declines BCCI request for change of Day/Night semi final at Durban

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 Organising Committee today declined a request from the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya, to change the second semi final in Durban on March 20 from a Day/Night match to

ICC Media Release

07-Mar-2003

Announcing the decision, Executive Director of CWC 2003, Dr Ali Bacher, said: "I spoke to Mr Dalmiya by telephone from Cape Town this afternoon to inform him of the decision reached by myself and colleagues from the Organising Committee.

"Having explained the thinking and reasons behind our decision, Mr Dalmiya repeated the assurance given to me yesterday that he and the BCCI will accept this in good faith. On that basis I can reconfirm that the semi final at Kingsmead, Durban, will proceed as scheduled, as a Day/Night match," said Dr Bacher.

"I wish to thank Mr Dalmiya and the BCCI for their understanding and co-operation in this matter."

The major considerations put forward by CWC 2003 to the BCCI for declining its request are as follows:

The fixture list for all ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 matches was released to competing teams in October 2001. No team has at any point prior to receipt of the BCCI's letter asked for any fixture to be changed from a Day/Night to a Day game

Day/Night matches are the most popular and spectacular from a spectator and viewer point of view. They allow thousands of committed cricket fans to attend games after work or school, that they might otherwise be unable to during the working week

Thousands of fans have arranged travel and accommodation plans for a Day/Night game, which would be impossible to change at this very late stage. CWC 2003 believe that it would be unfair and inappropriate to deny those people the match that has been promised to them for 17 months

There is no justification from a results point of view for changing the nature of the fixture. Despite a certain amount of media reporting to the contrary, there is parity in terms of results between sides batting first and those batting second. As a matter of record, there have been 16 Day/Night ODIs played at Durban since South Africa's readmission to world cricket in 1991-1992. Of these, 7 have been won by the side batting first and 7 won by the team batting second. There has been one wash out and the tied match between South Africa and Sri Lanka earlier this week. CWC 2003 believe that this could not represent a fairer equation in terms of results

It would be almost impossible to change the match at this late stage from a broadcasters' perspective. Satellite time has been booked to take the game to 180 countries around the world. Rights holders in those countries will have completed their broadcast schedules months ago and many millions of dollars of advertising will have been booked specifically against those Day/Night timings.

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