Turn the cricketing clock back 23 years. News filters through from
Australia that Kerry Packer's newly formed World Series Cricket will
feature players wearing coloured clothes. Not only that, matches would
be played at night with white balls and black sight screens and on
artificial pitches.
For the traditional fan of a conservative game like cricket, this was
almost sacrilege. For a hundred years, international cricket was
played during the day, with players in white flannels, exhibiting
their skills on natural pitches with red balls and white sight
screens. The purists were scandalised while the cynics were convinced
that all these were short lived novelties. This was particularly true
of India where the fanatical fans followed the innovations with more
than a fair share of curiousity. At the same time, they were sure that
these would not last and cricket would always be played the
traditional way.
But then as later events have proved, Kerry Packer was a pioneer, a
visionary. However, cricket worldwide has been averse to change and it
was some time before fans and administrators came to terms with the
fact that these innovations were here to stay. Indian cricket
officials have been particularly slow in reacting to changes. The
first Gillette Cup match was played in England in 1963. It was not
until 1973 that the first one day domestic tournament - the Deodhar
Trophy - was inaugurated. The first one day international was played
in Melbourne in January 1971 but the first such game in India was held
only in November 1981. Night cricket was introduced by Packer's World
Series Cricket but the floodlights were seen for the first time in
India only during the 1983-84 season.
In the last two decades, we have had, in addition, the appearances of
helmets, TV officials, neutral umpires, match referees. Cricket has
certainly undergone a sea change, particularly in the last quarter of
a century. Where is the changing face of cricket going to lead the
game in the next 25 years? Well, the three match series between
Australia and South Africa at the Colonial stadium in Melbourne, which
commenced on Wednesday, may possibly throw up a few pointers. There
have been a few exhibition matches played indoors in the past but this
is the first ICC approved one day international to be played indoors
and maybe we are looking at cricket's future. Certainly we cannot
afford to shrug it off as we did when Packer came up with his
innovations in the late seventies. Once bitten, twice shy.
The 250 million dollar state of the art stadium was essentially built
for Australian Rules football but following a few changes, the venue
was ready to play host to the three match series. Like in any new
venture there are concerns surrounding low lights hindering batting
and catching and a wet outfield making bowlers and fieldsmen cautious.
One remembers similar fears about playing under lights in the early
days of night cricket. Yet there is no mistaking the sense of
excitement and anticipation among the players. ``This is something
different and exciting. I am looking forward to the concept,'' said
Steve Waugh and the Australian captain has played almost 300 one day
games in the last 15 years. ``We are going to be part of history. It's
almost a different form of the game playing indoors and we will be the
first. Maybe in 100 years time they will look back and say this is the
time one day cricket really took off.'' Waugh is of the view that
playing under a roof is the future of the game. ``The people, when
they turn up, know they are going to watch cricket rather than the
possibility of rain interrupting. It is frustrating for a crowd to be
at the ground when there is no play, the sun's out but the ground is
still wet. This will take out that element,'' he said.
So what's next? Test cricket under a roof? Why not, anything is
possible. There has already been talk for some time of having Test
matches at night, something that Colin Cowdrey advocated during his
term as ICC president. Waugh has even endorsed the possibility of
night cricket under the roof though Australian Cricket Board chief
executive Malcolm Speed has already made it clear that Tests will
continue to be played at traditional venues. But the way cricket is
moving, one thing is sure. Very soon, the time honoured phrase
associated with the game for centuries - `rain stops play' - may soon
disappear from the reporters' jargon.