'Not an even contest'
Should Test cricket be played under artificial light as Cricket Australia recently proposed? We asked former and current players what they thought of the idea
25-Dec-2007
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David Lloyd
Former England player and coach
Night Test cricket is not for me. A Test should be an even contest. But what we've seen worldwide is that there are many places where darkness sets in early and the match must be continued under lights and with a possibility of dew. That is not an even contest. I'm sure Tests will survive without playing in the evening. We have also seen in one-day cricket at times when you play night-time cricket it's a situation of winning the toss to win the game. I've looked at the concept, read what people have to say, but I'm afraid night-time cricket is not for me.
Former England player and coach
Night Test cricket is not for me. A Test should be an even contest. But what we've seen worldwide is that there are many places where darkness sets in early and the match must be continued under lights and with a possibility of dew. That is not an even contest. I'm sure Tests will survive without playing in the evening. We have also seen in one-day cricket at times when you play night-time cricket it's a situation of winning the toss to win the game. I've looked at the concept, read what people have to say, but I'm afraid night-time cricket is not for me.
Len Pascoe
Former Australia and World Series cricket fast bowler
I played the longer version of the game at night and there is no difference. People are talking about the finding the right ball but I don't agree. More importantly the batsmen adapt easily. We have to meet the customer's needs and if the customer wants to so, bring it on. It's a very sensible decision. The game is evolving it is the viewing public which driving this evolution. If we can get the longer version into the lounge rooms, then why not play at night? The only problem could be that spin bowlers, who prefer to bowl with an older ball, might face some trouble. But these days the ball gets thrashed around by the 10 overs and is already scuffed.
Former Australia and World Series cricket fast bowler
I played the longer version of the game at night and there is no difference. People are talking about the finding the right ball but I don't agree. More importantly the batsmen adapt easily. We have to meet the customer's needs and if the customer wants to so, bring it on. It's a very sensible decision. The game is evolving it is the viewing public which driving this evolution. If we can get the longer version into the lounge rooms, then why not play at night? The only problem could be that spin bowlers, who prefer to bowl with an older ball, might face some trouble. But these days the ball gets thrashed around by the 10 overs and is already scuffed.
Greg Chappell
Former Australia batsman; played in World Series Cricket
Night Tests could not and should not be played until a decent ball is found. White balls and pink balls are no good. At night-fall the game changes because of dew, change of light etc. I think cricket has three distinct products and we need to differentiate between them. If all three are turned into day-and-night limited overs matches, it will destroy Test cricket. If Tests are destroyed the game will not prosper. Twenty20 cannot sustain the game. We might as well call it baseball if we do away with Tests. The long game is what differentiates our sport. Take out all the 'Tests' in the sport and it is a very pale imitation.
Former Australia batsman; played in World Series Cricket
Night Tests could not and should not be played until a decent ball is found. White balls and pink balls are no good. At night-fall the game changes because of dew, change of light etc. I think cricket has three distinct products and we need to differentiate between them. If all three are turned into day-and-night limited overs matches, it will destroy Test cricket. If Tests are destroyed the game will not prosper. Twenty20 cannot sustain the game. We might as well call it baseball if we do away with Tests. The long game is what differentiates our sport. Take out all the 'Tests' in the sport and it is a very pale imitation.
Kumar Sangakkara
Sri Lanka batsman
People should watch cricket for the game to survive and stay commercially viable in the modern sense. But whatever cricketer spectators watch has to be of the highest quality. For Tests to be played at night a lot of research should be done: on how the ball swings under lights and on how the pitches behave under the lights. The sighting of the ball is a major concern too, for the outfielders and the batsmen.
Sri Lanka batsman
People should watch cricket for the game to survive and stay commercially viable in the modern sense. But whatever cricketer spectators watch has to be of the highest quality. For Tests to be played at night a lot of research should be done: on how the ball swings under lights and on how the pitches behave under the lights. The sighting of the ball is a major concern too, for the outfielders and the batsmen.
I am a great supporter of Test cricket and would love to see it being the premiere format of the game, one that spectators and players love above all other formats. But we have to make sure we don't make it just another spectacle to make money out of. People will have to think deeply and make sure that if they are going to play Tests at night it is of the same quality and fairness as Tests during the day - both to the players and the spectators.
If the ICC legislates how cricket should be played, I hope those decisions are not made solely on financial purposes and are made more on the basis of quality cricket that the spectators would love to watch and the players would love to play.