Sydney: The International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday gave its seal of approval to the day/night Test matches while leaving the member Boards to decide on the type and colour of the ball to be used.
The ICC also announced new playing conditions for Tests, ODIs and T20 Internationals ahead of Sri Lanka-New Zealand series which began yesterday.
Some countries, including Australia and England, have been experimenting day/night Test matches for some time and with the ICC’s decision today, the longest format of the game may be held under lights very soon.
“Participating countries may agree to play day/night Test matches. The home and visiting boards will decide on the hours of play which will be six hours of scheduled play per day while the two boards will also decide on the precise brand, type and colour of ball to be used for the match,” the ICC said in a statement.
The world body announced a slew of changes in the playing conditions, including power plays, fielding restrictions and short-pitched deliveries in the ODIs, Decision Review System (in Tests and ODIs), no-ball, dead ball, over-rates, applicable in all the formats and changes in One Over Per Side Eliminator in T20Is.
“The new playing conditions for Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals will come into effect with the series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, which began in Pallekele yesterday.
The amendments have been approved by the ICC Board following proposals made by the ICC Cricket Committee at its meeting in London in May,” it said.
“It is important to note that the playing conditions are applicable to international cricket and must be read together with the Laws of Cricket.
Whilst a playing condition may affect the Laws of Cricket as they may apply to international cricket, these changes are not amendments to the Laws of Cricket themselves,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia yesterday said it wanted to start playing day/night Tests as soon as practical after the International Cricket Council gave its seal of approval to the concept.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has long argued that the game needs to recognise that fans have a better chance of watching Test cricket if it is played at night.
“Test cricket is by definition 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,” he said in a statement. “We limit ourselves by staging cricket’s premium format at times when fans often cannot watch.”
He said when a Test was played in Perth on Australia’s west coast, which is three hours behind the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, the television audience was much higher because fans on the east coast were home from work.
Agencies
