Australia welcomes ICC's day/night Test decision

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 26: David Warner of Australia sings the National Anthem during day one of the First Test match between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia.

Melbourne, Oct 30 – Cricket Australia (CA) Tuesday welcomed the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision of getting closer to make day/night Test cricket a reality, stating it was inevitable.

The ICC announced Monday that Test playing countries may now agree to play day/night Test cricket. The home and visiting boards will decide on the hours of play which will be six hours of scheduled play per day. The two boards will also decide on the precise brand, type and colour of ball to be used for the match.

CA chief executive officer (CEO) James Sutherland said: “Test cricket is played on at least three week days, times when most people are at work or school and this limits the ability of fans to attend or watch on TV.”

“We limit ourselves by staging cricket’s premium format at times when fans often cannot watch. CA has a formal strategic plan that puts fans first and we will now add day and night Tests to the agenda when we talk to other Test nations about their future tours down under,” he said in a release.

However, Sutherland also said he didn’t want to create expectations that day/night Tests are just around the corner.

“Finding a Test ball that is as easily visible in the day as it is at night is still a technical work in progress that the ICC is now leading and it has not yet been possible to predict when such a ball might be available,” added Sutherland.

“The traditional red ball is not suitable for night because it is not as visible as it is in the day and the ODI white ball is not suitable for Tests as it is not durable.”

“Experiments with other colours such as pink, orange and yellow have seen some promising developments. CA will, together with the ICC and ball manufacturers, continue to encourage research and development that delivers a ball with the optimal colour and durability for Test cricket.”