Day/Night Tests To Be Introduced in Australia

[howardj]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22915148-23212,00.html

I understand moving with the times. I understand sport is big business now run by big businessmen with little sentiment. But some aspects of our great sporting landscape need to be left unmolested in administration’s search for more money.

Now Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland wants to brush aside 130 years of tradition and transform the game of cricket. He wants Test matches played under lights to satisfy “consumer demands”.

So what do you think? Has Test match cricket become so boring that we need this overhaul to bring people to the game? Or is this just a money grab by Cricket Australia with no real love of cricket?

(The above is cut and pasted).

 

[Top_Cat]

To me, it's inevitable. People work longer hours these days, take fewer holidays, work until they're older, etc. so it's logical that a sport which entertains at night will get a larger slice of the entertainment pie. Geez, even a fast-paced sport like rugby league had a night final this year. I know crowd figures from the SL series will be used as an example for why this needs to go ahead but I reckon that has more to do with CA's list of 'Thou Shalt Not.....' attached to every ticket it sells for Test cricket. The fun Police will do more to kill the game than something like this.

A big issue will be whether batting or bowling will be unfairly advantaged by the day/night transition (e.g. more swing at night) and they only way to figure that out is to give it a try, I reckon. If we start seeing a lot late-night batting collapses, maybe re-visit the idea. I personally don't think it'll happen that way but I don't know for sure. What I do know, however, is that when Australia trialled night Sheffield Shield matches with the orange ball, there were a hell of a lot of big scores including a Dean Jones 300 and the feeling was that it was easier batting at night and that the orange ball was easier to bat against. I don't know where Punter got the idea it was tougher for batsmen because there were heaps of big scores and at rapid pace at night.

I would so go watch a night Test, reckon it'd be a hoot. I complain every summer that I can't get to the Tests at Adelaide and this would make it much easier and I'd love it.

 

[Burgey]

There's not much wrong with it as an idea per se, but the whole thing will never got off the ground until they find a ball tha can last 80+ overs in a night time environment.
The current white ball gets replaced after 35 overs now.
Until they come up with something to solve this problem, it's pretty much unworkable, isn't it? They can't use the dark red ball and the white ball isn't up to it.

 

[archie mac]

Pleeeease NOOOO!!!!

 

[slugger]

i bet theyll test it against minor teams.. how about try it when the ashes are on... lol...narrrrrrrrrrr

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

that has more to do with CA's list of 'Thou Shalt Not.....' attached to every ticket it sells for Test cricket. The fun Police will do more to kill the game than something like this.

Bingo - people go to the cricket to have a good time and CA have done their level best to take some of the fun out of it.

 

[silentstriker]

I absolutely love the idea. The bloody old farts running the game need to realize that the onslaught of other games will make Test cricket obsolete unless we revive the interest in the games. As long as it doesn't take away from what constitutes a Test, I'm all for it. In my mind, being played only during the day is an idiotic leftover from the 19th century. There is no reason why it shouldn't be.

Without changing the game in a significant manner, this will open it up for more people to admire. I fail to see what the hell is wrong with this. As long as you can see the ball reasonably, it's a fantastic thing to improve the game. Or would you continue to see the game marginalized? Baseball is played under the lights all the time.

 

[SJS]

I dont like it much but I can understand the inevitability of it. I would rather have day-night tests than to see test matches dying out due to vast empty stadia.

Having said that, I think the authorities need to bring in some other changes to make sure the chances of a result are improved. Many suggestions have been made in this regard and I dont intend to list all of them but let them pick some and make a start.

Also if we are going so far as to bring day-night games, why be so stuck up at using some more technology to reduce the burden/heartburn of umpiring mistakes - remember I said reduce and not eliminate.

 

[archie mac]

I absolutely love the idea. The bloody old farts running the game need to realize that the onslaught of other games will make Test cricket obsolete unless we revive the interest in the games. As long as it doesn't take away from what constitutes a Test, I'm all for it. In my mind, being played only during the day is an idiotic leftover from the 19th century. There is no reason why it shouldn't be.

Without changing the game in a significant manner, this will open it up for more people to admire. I fail to see what the hell is wrong with this. As long as you can see the ball reasonably, it's a fantastic thing to improve the game. Or would you continue to see the game marginalized? Baseball is played under the lights all the time.

They have been saying Test cricket is dead/will die since the 60s, still going strong

Could not give a stuff what Baseball does

They tried day/night matches in the SS, it was a shocker the ball seemed to swing much more of a night and it was simly unfair to the team batting at night. Maybe if they could fix that problem it would be okay, but still I don't know why we need it? Can't people find time in the day?

 

[SJS]

They have been saying Test cricket is dead/will die since the 60s, still going strong

Could not give a stuff what Baseball does

They tried day/night matches in the SS, it was a shocker the ball seemed to swing much more of a night and it was simly unfair to the team batting at night. Maybe if they could fix that problem it would be okay, but still I don't know why we need it? Can't people find time in the day?

You know Sean, if I hadn't retired, I would find it impossible to watch test matches on anyday except Sundays and sometimes Saturdays. And I love test matches more than all other forms of the game. But I agree that it really changes the game in a way we never ever thought or wanted it changed.

I can see what you are saying about the difference between day and night conditions. Maybe something will be done to reduce those. To the extent they remain we may get used to living with them as players did in the past with sudden rain in England and uncovered pitches. The conditions suddenly changed so drastically. Here at least you know whats coming and when. Will give both teams notice to plan a bit for the same in advance on a daily basis. Maybe it will introduce a better balance between bat and ball that we have always been asking for though not in this way, surely.

Maybe they should have first tried it in the first class game - or have they already ??

 

[Pratters]

Cricket Australia needs to be applauded for this. Awesome stuff. Reproducing my earlier post on the topic.

Test cricket as it stands today is a game from another age. I love test cricket and wouldn't watch any thing over a solid test match. However, I cannot watch 5 days of test cricket all day. If I had that much time during the day, I would rather go on a holiday with family or friends. Some thing obviously needs to change and resorting to day-night games would be great. Shane Warne said in an interview once in the 90s that his dream was to play in day-night tests and since then, I have loved the concept of day-night tests. Would definitely bring in audiences and after sorting out the basic problems, I hope we see day-night tests in the future.

 

[Top_Cat]

Maybe they should have first tried it in the first class game - or have they already ??

Yep - some Sheffield Shield matches in the late 90's were day/night using an orange ball. From my recollection, the orange ball stopped swinging after about 20 overs and there were a lot of big scores made at night.

 

[archie mac]

You know Sean, if I hadn't retired, I would find it impossible to watch test matches on anyday except Sundays and sometimes Saturdays. And I love test matches more than all other forms of the game. But I agree that it really changes the game in a way we never ever thought or wanted it changed.

I can see what you are saying about the difference between day and night conditions. Maybe something will be done to reduce those. To the extent they remain we may get used to living with them as players did in the past with sudden rain in England and uncovered pitches. The conditions suddenly changed so drastically. Here at least you know whats coming and when. Will give both teams notice to plan a bit for the same in advance on a daily basis. Maybe it will introduce a better balance between bat and ball that we have always been asking for though not in this way, surely.

Maybe they should have first tried it in the first class game - or have they already ??

They tried it in the Sheffield Shield a few years back (with a yellow ball I think) it did not work very well, and they stopped it after only one or two seasons

 

[Sanz]

About time. Kudos to Cricket Australia for coming up with this idea.

 

[slugger]

by the end of the decade...within 2 years?? wow..

 

[archie mac]

Yep - some Sheffield Shield matches in the late 90's were day/night using an orange ball. From my recollection, the orange ball stopped swinging after about 20 overs and there were a lot of big scores made at night.

Not that I had the chance to watch much of it, but from the highlights I watched, it seemed to be very bowler friendly? Is there a record of ave; scores from night compared to day time?

 

[chaminda_00]

Pretty sure during the day the orange bowl did nothing and batsmen scored runs like they were playing park cricket. Then at night the bowl moved around all over the place and every bowler looked like Waqar and Wasim. It become a real joke and sides were declaring just so they could bowl at night.

 

[Top_Cat]

Not that I had the chance to watch much of it, but from the highlights I watched, it seemed to be very bowler friendly? Is there a record of ave; scores from night compared to day time?

I doubt that very much. And, really the only reason it was killed as a concept was because there just simply wasn't the crowds to justify the cost of playing at night. Crowds were an improvement from day-time matches but for domestic cricket, they were never going to be that high and so it was an experiment not destined to last. Also, not every ground had lights at that point so it was considered that the competition wasn't equal if lights weren't at Adelaide or Bellerive at that point. It did, however, prove the point that such a thing was possible.

And, in fact, here's the very match I was talking about with Dean Jones scoring 300+. Now, tell me it wasn't batting friendly although I do take the point that Deano was in unbelievable nick that season.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1994-95/AUS_LOCAL/SS/VIC_SOA_SS_03-06FEB1995.html

Scoring was a big tougher going in this one;

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1994-95/AUS_LOCAL/SS/NSW_TAS_SS_09-12DEC1994.html

Either way, it's got to be a better innovation than when Victoria started wearing shorts for Mercantile-Mutual Cup games......

 

[Jono]

TC saying it was easier to bat at night in the Sheffield Shield, Archie Mac saying it was more difficult.

Which is it?

 

[social]

Yep - some Sheffield Shield matches in the late 90's were day/night using an orange ball. From my recollection, the orange ball stopped swinging after about 20 overs and there were a lot of big scores made at night.

From my recollection, the ball was the biggest problem - no idea why it should be but the orange rock had different characteristics to both the white and the red ball.

If they've solved that problem, then it's an inevitable and justifiable move in countries with weather characteristics similar to Australia.

However, tests at night in countries like New Zealand and England (atmosphere) and the sun-continent (dew) may not be feasible