Debate: Is day-night Tests moving in right direction?

Sport360 staff 11:29 26/12/2016
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  • Pink ball cricket has become popular with more boards.

    Is day-night Test cricket still the way forward for the game’s oldest and most prestigious format?

    It is certainly a topic that divides opinion.

    That’s why we got two of our cricket experts on the case!

    What’s your view?

    Let us know!

    Share with us your thoughts by commenting below, using #360fans on Twitter or getting in touch via Facebook.

    Ajit Vijaykumar, Deputy News Editor, says YES

    I am a fan of day-night Tests and despite players like Mitchell Johnson saying they don’t think it is ‘real’ Test cricket, I believe it is the way forward.

    As a concept, pink ball cricket still makes a lot of sense. If you move outside Australia and England, Test cricket is struggling to attract crowds and something had to be done to spark life into the format. No doubt the Ashes continues to be played in front of packed venues but for Test cricket to be in good health in all countries, a dramatic new step had to be taken and pink ball cricket is that move.

    Fans who have grown accustomed to the slam bang version of T20 cricket needed to be given something equally appealing and dazzling, which I believe is being done by day-night Tests. When games are played during evenings there is a much higher chance of fans viewing it on TV after finishing their work, and also going to the stadium and catching up on a session or two.

    The last such match – between Australia and Pakistan – was a remarkable contest with the subcontinent team nearly pulling off one of the highest ever run chases in Test history. That it materialised under lights just added to the drama. No wonder the venue – Gabba – witnessed a record attendance for a non-Ashes Test.

    Does it have its flaws? Yes it does. But I feel they are a necessary inconvenience, as I have said before. Instead of only looking at the issues which have cropped up, like fast bowlers dominating matches on wickets with extra bit of grass, fans, players and administrators should look at it as a great experiment which can improve the health of the game significantly.

    Pink ball Tests is a concept every Test playing team should try out regularly and in different conditions. If some problems arise which undermine the contest, we can have a relook. But until that time, we should support this endeavour and enjoy what is a thoroughly entertaining part of the game.

    Joy Chakravarty, Regional Editor, says NO

    I am all for pyjama cricket, and all kinds of quirky innovations that are linked to the ODI and Twenty20 formats, but the purist, and the romanticist, in me is unable to come to terms with the pink-ball Test cricket yet.

    My reasoning is simple – cricket authorities are trying to fix something that isn’t broke. Test cricket has its traditional fan base, and it is not going to add substantially to the numbers of passionate followers by changing the timing. However, the chances of it going the other way is high, once the novelty value of day-night Test matches wear off.

    Of course, everyone wants to grow the game, and Twenty20 is the perfect vehicle for that. The biggest reason the public have embraced the format is because it’s done and dusted in three hours and produces immense drama and a result. Very few repeat fans, ‘repeat’ being the key word, go to a T20 match because of the loud music, dance and the party atmosphere.

    Also, I am not convinced that day-night Tests is what the television channels would want in the long term.

    It may help draw a few extra fans to the ground, but given that the timings will coincide with prime time viewing, the broadcasting channels are going to lose eyeballs to soap operas and more established programmes. The crowd that Test matches get in countries like England and Australia – and based on the recent India v England experience, especially in the Mumbai and Chennai Test – clearly show that there is still a massive appetite for the most traditional form of the game.

    And then there is the example of what happened in Dubai when the Pakistan v West Indies match was played under lights. The attendance at the stadium was hardly any better at night than what it gets during day matches. The future of Test cricket is in ensuring that the 140-year-old format remains meaningful to the fans and players – and just changing the time is definitely not the best answer.

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