CRICKET is going through a crisis at the moment, which has the game strung up by the balls.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Adelaide will be the setting for the biggest innovation in the game since World Series Cricket, when Australia meet New Zealand in the first ever Day/Night Test Match starting November 27.
The whole point of the Day/Night Test is to capitalise on television ratings, with the majority of the day’s play falling in the critical prime time ratings period.
The idea was spawned from the success of the Perth Test, which given the time difference to the east coast of Australia, is a ratings juggernaut.
Generally Test cricket falls in the barren wasteland that is mid-morning/early afternoon timeslot, which isn’t a drawcard for advertisers.
But the idea of playing a Test match mostly under lights raises some serious issues.
Arguably the most important – the ability to see the ball.
A red ball is traditionally used in Test cricket, as it stands out amid the white clothing. A white ball is used for the shorter versions of the game, with the ball standing out against the coloured clothing worn and the night sky.
Years of development has gone into producing a pink ball, the solution for Day/Night Test cricket, in that it can be seen at night (allegedly) and works with the white clothing worn in the longer version of the game.
But it hasn’t been without problems.
Last week Sheffield Shield games were being played using the new pink ball.
Some complained the ball did not last long enough, forcing them to change it several times. Outfielders complained they could not pick up the ball in the evening, raising issues of player safety.
The twilight period of the afternoon is seen as the most dangerous, where a mixture of natural and artificial light prevails. It was this period where NSW capitalised in their Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia on Wednesday.
The Blues decided to declare early, sending South Australia to the crease in this treacherous period, with NSW’s bold move having immediate effect, leaving the Redbacks at 3/3.
Even Animation Research, the company behind the DRS system, claim it has yet to master the use of the technology successfully with the pink ball. (If only Shane Watson hung around a bit longer).
Cricket legend Ian Chappell wants to use the white ball. The one we use for One Day Internationals, and you know, works. But his idea has sparked a major outcry.
If we use a white ball, then we can’t wear the white clothing that is synonymous with Test cricket.
The way I see it, if we’re playing at night, with a different coloured ball, you’re already that far removed from the traditions of Test cricket, you might as well go with coloured clothing as well.
Now cricket nerds out there will tell me there are issues with the white ball also.
But I have a solution!
Just play in the day time, using a red ball, in the manner we’ve all come to love.
I don’t want to be remembered as that guy who said Day/Night cricket was a stupid idea, because people said the same about One Day cricket and Twenty20, and they were wrong.
But I’d argue the latter versions of the game prospered because administrators were given licence to experiment, as long as they left Test cricket alone.
Tickets are flying out the door for the Day/Night Test and ratings will be strong, but we’re crumbling the foundations of the game, for dollars.
With our viewing habits changing all the time, new avenues may emerge allowing broadcasters and advertisers to capitalise in ways they haven’t in the past. Online streaming is growing in popularity and in the future we could all enjoy the day’s play while we work, on our computer screens, smart phones or tablets, as many do now.
Test cricket is the original and the best and shouldn’t be tinkered with until we know for sure the methods will work.