SA test schedule

[Stefan9]

I enjoyed the inaugural day nighters tbh. But got to consider players' point of view too. SA players talked with the players who have had some experience in the day nighters and apparently they are not happy as per the reports

The players are there to entertain the fans. No fans no job. First day night test match was hugely popular. The players have duty towards the game of cricket to do everything they can to promote it. So they need to adjust and stop being precious.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Most players are against it. Even Pakistani players are against it but their board pretty much made the decision ignoring them.

 

[Black_Warrior]

The players are there to entertain the fans. No fans no job. First day night test match was hugely popular. The players have duty towards the game of cricket to do everything they can to promote it. So they need to adjust and stop being precious.

Fair enough but I think they also have a duty to perform at their best and try to win. And the concern that day night test match will effect their performance is a genuine once.
I am not saying whether they are right or not. All I am saying is that some of these concerns are legitimate. There was a trial for some first class games in Pakistan earlier and Misbah and co felt it was very difficult to spot the ball as a fielder. Ultimately they are held accountable for their performances and if the environment adversely effects that, their concerns are not ridiculous.

Day-Night test match is of course the need of the hour in terms of fans and their needs and ultimately the best solution would be whatever serves both these interests.

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

The players are there to entertain the fans. No fans no job. First day night test match was hugely popular. The players have duty towards the game of cricket to do everything they can to promote it. So they need to adjust and stop being precious.

But that does not mean they have to accept all the crap thrown towards them. Not saying the day nighters are crap but if they after analyzing found out things are not suitable to play like some problems with the ball that are used in such matches, they have the right to withdraw. I am sure every players want to play and why would they hesitate to play a test in Australia against Australia when they do not get as many tests as some other nations. At the end of the day they will take the field. Not James Sutherland.

 

[GotSpin]

Do the bowlers complain or is it just the batsmen who find it a bit tough now? Poor fellas. Toughen up, its a new era. Day/Night Test matches are the future

 

[StephenZA]

Do the bowlers complain or is it just the batsmen who find it a bit tough now? Poor fellas. Toughen up, its a new era. Day/Night Test matches are the future

But every sportsman gets to practice in conditions before they play... and a 3 day game a couple of days before the match is not exactly decent practice. Maybe we can call it Aus home ground advantage... do they need the extra help?

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

.

Test captain De Villiers, though, has now spoken out publically on the issue for the first time, speaking to Independent Media exclusively from India, where he is playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. De Villiers recently had discussions with Australian Test captain Steve Smith and was left even more disillusioned with the prospect of South Africa playing their maiden day-night Test.

“At the moment we are not too keen on playing in the proposed day/night Test match due to a few concerns that have come from a number of sources involved in the maiden Test played last year. We had a meeting with Steve Smith and some of the Australian players when they toured here earlier this year and the consensus from our talks were that there are just too many unknowns, players from both teams were reluctant to go ahead with it,” De Villiers said from Bangalore.

The pink ball has had some issues with how it responds to 80 overs of Test cricket and that is one of the key issues that we feel plays a big role in the success of the day/night Test. The pitch also had to be ‘doctored’ to minimize the abrasive wear and tear to the pink ball, which seems to happen quicker than the red ball, and this is also an area we feel is a big factor in the run of play,” De Villiers added.

 

[Stefan9]

But every sportsman gets to practice in conditions before they play... and a 3 day game a couple of days before the match is not exactly decent practice. Maybe we can call it Aus home ground advantage... do they need the extra help?

How much time do you need to practice? Its months before this series. Very easy to fit in that practice if they are willing to forgo ipl,ect If they claim this series is very important to win then that shouldn't be a problem.

But that does not mean they have to accept all the crap thrown towards them. Not saying the day nighters are crap but if they after analyzing found out things are not suitable to play like some problems with the ball that are used in such matches, they have the right to withdraw. I am sure every players want to play and why would they hesitate to play a test in Australia against Australia when they do not get as many tests as some other nations. At the end of the day they will take the field. Not James Sutherland.

Would we be hearing a peep out of them if it was an ipl game...No we wouldn't, they like to complain about conditions not being perfect when it comes to international cricket but you never hear anything when they are away with their ipl/big bash,caribean sides/psl,ect sides.

Fair enough but I think they also have a duty to perform at their best and try to win. And the concern that day night test match will effect their performance is a genuine once.
I am not saying whether they are right or not. All I am saying is that some of these concerns are legitimate. There was a trial for some first class games in Pakistan earlier and Misbah and co felt it was very difficult to spot the ball as a fielder. Ultimately they are held accountable for their performances and if the environment adversely effects that, their concerns are not ridiculous.

Day-Night test match is of course the need of the hour in terms of fans and their needs and ultimately the best solution would be whatever serves both these interests.

Fans are what matter. Conditions are the same for both sides, there are months before the series more then enough time to prepare if they really want to.

At a time when test cricket is struggling to attract fans we need to do every we can. So players need to buckle up and adjust.

 

[StephenZA]

How much time do you need to practice? Its months before this series. Very easy to fit in that practice if they are willing to forgo ipl,ect If they claim this series is very important to win then that shouldn't be a problem.

Practice without a decent competitive environment means nothing... They need to do practice in the same type of environment that they will be facing. The only domestic scene I know of that plays D/N first class is Australia whose season has ended. (I`m not sure if Eng has started yet?). Even the greatest players in Tennis spend time going to tournaments prior to the majors to get used to the surface they will be playing on.... even having payed on it many times before. A 3 day practice game is not sufficient...

Would we be hearing a peep out of them if it was an ipl game...No we wouldn't, they like to complain about conditions not being perfect when it comes to international cricket but you never hear anything when they are away with their ipl/big bash,caribean sides/psl,ect sides.

Are you are seriously trying to compare a bit of hit and giggle club cricket for 6 weeks against a International test series in Australia? I won`t remember QDK`s recent IPL hundred before the end of the month..... I still remember Steyn`s Duminy`s rearguard action in the 08/09 series in Aus.

Fans are what matter. Conditions are the same for both sides, there are months before the series more then enough time to prepare if they really want to. At a time when test cricket is struggling to attract fans we need to do every we can. So players need to buckle up and adjust.

I agree day/night test cricket is coming and it is needed. And I would love it to happen. But I would also like to know that it was ready and correctly implemented, not a rushed job to make the boards some more money regardless of what the players think. D/N tests should start becoming a thing once at least the majority of the top cricket nations are playing it in there domestic structure and its available for international players to get used to...

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

I agree day/night test cricket is coming and it is needed. And I would love it to happen. But I would also like to know that it was ready and correctly implemented, not a rushed job to make the boards some more money regardless of what the players think. D/N tests should start becoming a thing once at least the majority of the top cricket nations are playing it in there domestic structure and its available for international players to get used to...

Couldn't agree more

 

[Stefan9]

Practice without a decent competitive environment means nothing... They need to do practice in the same type of environment that they will be facing. The only domestic scene I know of that plays D/N first class is Australia whose season has ended. (I`m not sure if Eng has started yet?). Even the greatest players in Tennis spend time going to tournaments prior to the majors to get used to the surface they will be playing on.... even having payed on it many times before. A 3 day practice game is not sufficient...

Are you are seriously trying to compare a bit of hit and giggle club cricket for 6 weeks against a International test series in Australia? I won`t remember QDK`s recent IPL hundred before the end of the month..... I still remember Steyn`s Duminy`s rearguard action in the 08/09 series in Aus.


I agree day/night test cricket is coming and it is needed. And I would love it to happen. But I would also like to know that it was ready and correctly implemented, not a rushed job to make the boards some more money regardless of what the players think. D/N tests should start becoming a thing once at least the majority of the top cricket nations are playing it in there domestic structure and its available for international players to get used to...

7 months from now till the Aus test series more then enough time to get enough practice in or even organise a short competitive first class comp, if they really wanted to.

As for other sports getting used to different surfaces. Most football sides when they need to prepare when going to play on artificial pitches only spend a week or two preparing...

Implemented correctly is a matter of opinion. One day cricket was implemented by a rushed once of match of a washout test, didn't see it hurting the format.

 

[StephenZA]

7 months from now till the Aus test series more then enough time to get enough practice in or even organise a short competitive first class comp, if they really wanted to.

As for other sports getting used to different surfaces. Most football sides when they need to prepare when going to play on artificial pitches only spend a week or two preparing...

Implemented correctly is a matter of opinion. One day cricket was implemented by a rushed once of match of a washout test, didn't see it hurting the format.

7 months to organize the entire squad, who have other commitments, family and otherwise, including a ODI tri-series in WI, a short NZ test series and another (stupid) ODI series against Aus, to try get used to playing d/n test cricket with facilities SA do not yet have fully available. I am pretty confident that practice is not as simple as switching the lights on at Wanderers and having a hit-out.

And while football grounds make some difference, the pitch behavior and lighting required to watch a small ball being projected at 140+ km/h across a 22 yard strip is quite different. And to compare the beginning idea of ODI`s (what became a total new format, which this would not be), that would have had no effect on players professional Test careers, to playing D/N Test cricket in a professional era as part of a Test series is highly disingenuous.

 

[GotSpin]

Give them a couple FC matches in Australia before the series. Something which should happen anyway

 

[Stefan9]

7 months to organize the entire squad, who have other commitments, family and otherwise, including a ODI tri-series in WI, a short NZ test series and another (stupid) ODI series against Aus, to try get used to playing d/n test cricket with facilities SA do not yet have fully available. I am pretty confident that practice is not as simple as switching the lights on at Wanderers and having a hit-out.

And while football grounds make some difference, the pitch behavior and lighting required to watch a small ball being projected at 140+ km/h across a 22 yard strip is quite different. And to compare the beginning idea of ODI`s (what became a total new format, which this would not be), that would have had no effect on players professional Test careers, to playing D/N Test cricket in a professional era as part of a Test series is highly disingenuous.

Like I said if this series really means as much as they are trying portray in the media forgo ipl and cpl for this season and prepare for the pink ball test...

Pretty sure you don't hear a peep out of them if they are asked to play either ipl or cpl with a pink ball...

 

[StephenZA]

Like I said if this series really means as much as they are trying portray in the media forgo ipl and cpl for this season and prepare for the pink ball test...

Pretty sure you don't hear a peep out of them if they are asked to play either ipl or cpl with a pink ball...

Considering. I`m pretty sure that the players are already committed to the ipl this year... and I don`t know the contractual commitments/obligations regarding cpl. Or for that matter Rabada has with Kent and I`m pretty sure some of the other players do to with English county cricket. Otherwise I believe except for beginning of September the team is fully booked up (mostly with silly ODI series). But normally these commitments are organized far in advance. If this discussion was for a test series end of 2017 then I could see your point and agree with you..

And please stop trying to compare ipl, cpl to a test match in Aus... they won`t complain about ipl, cpl because they have little to no emotional investment in those teams. Its a bit of fun cricket that makes them money but they have been contracted by now. This Test series should have been organized more than 7 months in advance to get the D/N test organized in time. Right now I think for this D/N test to happen the Aus cricket board is going to make a big monetary offer to the SA cricket board who will then force the SA players to do the game against there wishes.

Give them a couple FC matches in Australia before the series. Something which should happen anyway

This would be the ideal scenario but there is just not enough time before the tests start.

And everybody is stepping over the fact that even the Aus players have reservation, its just that there board is making them do it...

 

[GotSpin]

Again, it seems that just a couple of the bats complain because things get a little difficult

 

[StephenZA]

Again, it seems that just a couple of the bats complain because things get a little difficult

I actually think the batsmen are concerned that bowlers may get injured if they can`t see the ball properly... nothing to do with them...

 

[Stefan9]

Very good article.

South Africa must take a wider view about day-night TestDANIEL BRETTIG 21 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter South Africa's players should not agree to a day-night Test because Cricket Australia is asking them to. They should do it for the health of Test cricket in their own country 1K shares
21

The first day-night Test last year at the Adelaide Oval drew record crowds © Getty Images
Ever since South Africa rejoined international cricket in 1992, their Australian counterparts have felt themselves to be in possession of a small but vital advantage.

Put simply, when Australian teams are in a difficult position they attack, while South Africa's combinations are often expected to take the conservative option. This idea has applied not only to Australian Test encounters with South Africa, but also to ICC events where the teams of AB de Villiers and company have repeatedly fallen short.

With that in mind, it is not particularly surprising that South Africa's cricketers have raised their hands in protest at the idea of playing a day-night Test as the potential decider to next summer's series in Australia. That old obstinacy has been well represented, through the words of the players' association chief Tony Irish, and de Villiers himself.

South Africa, we are told, lack experience playing first-class cricket under lights. They have not tried the pink ball in domestic competitions, nor have the Test players given it a practice run at nocturnal training sessions. In a series where the No. 1 Test ranking may be on the line, South Africa's players think the stakes are too high for such an experimental concept. A day-night warm-up match is not enough practice.

A willingness to try something new would run contrary to the conservatism South African cricket is known for, and which player would not leap at the chance to overturn that old stereotype?
Partly, this argument has been bolstered by the apparent ambivalence of Australian players when they discussed the concept in South Africa earlier this year during a warm-up series for the World T20. One discussion point is there are "too many unknowns" able to sully the looming contest. The Test teams of Australia and New Zealand, of course, did not consent to last year's inaugural day-night fixture until Cricket Australia had tipped in $1 million extra cash, paid in a 60/40 split that looked suspiciously like appearance money. Having made that offer once, CA should have expected to be asked for it again.

Conservative attitudes among cricketers are common and usually well-founded - another example emerged this month via Alastair Cook's preference to keep an older and more comfortable version of his batting helmet, reasoning it is safer for him to have a fuller field of vision. Nevertheless, occasions do arise when it would be useful for the players to take the wider view, and day-night Tests are one of those.

Some of Irish's words about "commercial concerns" needing to balance with a "cricket imperative" are well-meaning, but miss the point of day-night Tests. The greatest imperative for all concerned is that Test cricket must find a way to thrive beyond the cosseted traditions of the Ashes. South Africa's players should know this better than anyone, given the fact they play the vast majority of their home Test matches in front of pitifully small crowds and middling television audiences.

As Rod Marsh argued in his Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's last year, after Australia's 2014 tour to South Africa: "How can the Test match crowds in South Africa be so poor? They have a magnificent team with arguably the best fast bowler in the world and possibly the best batsman in the world. Yet no one goes to watch them play at home. Come on you guys, get active, there will be a time when your product isn't that good and you'll struggle to exist."


Australia's 1994 Test tour of South Africa took place during an uncertain political climate, but it turned out to be a successful one and the hosts were grateful © Getty Images
By consenting to play a day-night Test, South Africa's players would make a statement of openness that would be felt far beyond the context of a single match in Adelaide. They would open up the possibility of such matches being played in South Africa - concerns about the quality of lights are valid but must also be balanced with the opportunity to grow the game - in front of far larger Test crowds than the nation has ever seen. They should consider that last year's Adelaide Test drew the biggest attendance ever for a match between Australia and New Zealand, instantly elevating the Test to a pitch of excitement usually glimpsed only at the Boxing Day or New Year's Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.

Equally, a willingness to try something new would run contrary to the conservatism South African cricket is known for, and which player would not leap at the chance to overturn that old stereotype? It might also be useful to think about the prospect of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel using a swinging pink ball under lights and the potential damage they could do to Australia; Adelaide will never be Perth, but the contest between bat and ball is likely to be far more even than the first day of the last match between the two sides at the ground.

As they baulk at taking a leap into the future, it might pay South Africa's players to take a look back into the history of cricket contests between the two countries. In 1994, Australia sent a touring team to South Africa in circumstances that were deemed risky by many. The trip coincided with the final weeks before the nation's first ever all-race elections, and news stories of violence and potential terror threats abounded. Led by Allan Border on his final tour, the Australians made the journey in a spirit of discovery, without knowing quite what to expect.

What followed was a trip memorable for the cricket and the history, helping to set up the rivalry that de Villiers and company are now so anxious about preserving. The hosts were forever grateful to then ACB chairman Alan Crompton and chief executive Graham Halbish that a successful visit was completed ahead of Nelson Mandela's elevation to power, in a celebratory atmosphere that caused many of the earlier fears to ring hollow. An Australian decision not to tour might have been disastrous for a South African team still making its early steps back into the international fold.

Given their recent refusal - on government advice - to send a team to the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, it is worth pondering whether CA in its current guise would have taken the risk Crompton and Halbish did. But in the context of 2016 and day-night Tests the roles are reversed, with CA asking its South African counterpart to make a leap of faith. While the players have every right to protect what they consider to be the integrity of their game, they would do well to consider the wider view this time around. Take the positive option, and find out what rewards may lie on the other side of night. Not just in Adelaide, but in South Africa too.

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

South Africa must take wider view about proposed day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Seems Steyn doesn't agree with AB & CO. Would love to see him with a pink ball under lights against the aussie boys.

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn says he would relish the challenge of playing the day-night test
By Arjun Devgan
April 20, 2016 06:56 BST 1
Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn is South Africa's premier fast-bowler in all three formats of the gameGetty
South Africa may be reluctant to play the day-night test with the pink ball against Australia in Adelaide, but their premier fast bowler Dale Steyn has revealed he would relish the challenge. Australia and South Africa are scheduled to play a day-night test match starting 24 November but that might not happen due to concerns over the visibility of the pink ball under lights.

Despite his team and cricket board's reluctance to play a day-night test match, Steyn is keen to experience it for himself. "I don't want to go through my whole career without playing a day-night game. How cool are they? I thought it looked awesome when New Zealand and Australia played one. It looked entertaining, there was a big crowd. The ball is pink — it's something different, you want to test your skills with that whole thing and it's very exciting", Steyn was quoted as saying by cricketaustralia.

The inaugural pink ball test match between Australia and New Zealand in 2015 was an enormous success, drawing record crowds and ratings, prompting Cricket Australia to schedule two pink ball test matches for the summer. While Pakistan have not made any objections to their day-night clash, South Africa are yet to comment on the matter.

"The difficult part of it comes in if it's one all and we go into a decider and we play a test match we've never really played before, we've never used a pink ball before. That could be a little bit of an issue for the guys, Australia having played one before and having played a few first-class games, would have the upper hand on us in that sense. We are not moaning about it, it would just not be a level playing field."

Australia host South Africa in a three-match test series starting November, with Cricket Australia announcing the Men's 2016-17 International schedule. The final match is intended to be a day-night one.

Schedule for Commonwealth Bank Test Series 2016, Australia vs South Africa

First Test: November 3-7, WACA Ground, Perth

Second Test: November 12-16, Blundstone Arena, Hobart

Third Test: November 24-28, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn says he would relish the challenge of playing the day-night test

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Again, it seems that just a couple of the bats complain because things get a little difficult

Starc was very vocal iirc

 

[GotSpin]

Wasn't he using the older version of the pink ball? Reckon he'd be frothing to bowl with it now.

Good articles those two. Steyn is such a legend in so many ways. Love his approach and enthusiasm