Is test cricket at night more sexy?
Had India failed to win today's test, there could have been numerous Indian journos asking why BCCI refuses to play test cricket under flood-lights. Well, there is some merit in that argument; Indians lost close to 55 overs yesterday due to bad light/rain and if flood lights were permitted, they could have put in some overs out of that. They came close to loosing an opportunity to square the series and stay on top of the ICC ranking. For now, at least, calls for BCCI to join in an attempt to search for flood-light solution to test cricket may not rise. Of all boards, BCCI has been talked about as an autocratic board which does not hesitate to milk Indian cricketers as cash-cows. But they some how are not falling in with other cricket boards on this issue. Call BCCI traditionalist or just bullish for not joining other cricket boards, especially two powerful lobbies in world cricket namely Cricket Australia and ECB who are very keen to play test cricket under flood-lights as early as within next two years. I don't know why; but I don't mind that decision. I am not arguing this only on emotion that test cricket should remain traditional. Do we really need test cricket to be played at night, is my question.
Apparently it is argued that revenue from audience attendance for test cricket is diminishing and something needs to be done to attract the crowds back. Many administrators of the game seem to think that making test cricket a day-night affair will achieve that. They are convinced that this is the only way test cricket will survive. I am not sure about that. I believe economics of the game of cricket is based upon TV revenue more than audience attendance in stadium. It is a fact that any test series will make money if it is sufficiently attractive for subcontinent fans. More than 70% revenue from TV rights for any test series is generated by Indian corporates. Crowd attendance is hardly important. Now with ICC getting its fair share of cut from every TV deal and then sharing that revenue with ALL member associations, Indian corporates have become cash-cows for all cricket boards in the world. If there is sufficient interest on the sub-continent in a test series between any two nations, it will become a profitable proposition regardless of the number of spectators. I do not like that situation, but that is reality. And looking at some closely contested test series in recent times (Ashes in England, SA-Eng in SA, India-Australia, India-England and even India-NZ in NZ), audience have returned to test cricket, at least TV audience if not as much, at the venues. I believe that any series involving India, Australia, SA, England and Pakistan will make money regardless of number of spectators at the venue. Test cricket is alive and kicking; there could not have been a better example of that than today..
However, the powers that be, are convinced that night cricket is the only way forward for test cricket to survive. As you know, white, red, pink, fluoro lime are a few colours that have been trialled unsuccessfully. This season Cricket Australia trialled a pink ball in some representative games (Inter-state second eleven games). The results were hardly encouraging. The ball lost visibility after ~50 overs due to loss of colour. White ball which is used for ODIs have the same problem. Hence they introduced new rule recently to change the ball from 35th over every game. In test cricket ball is changed only after 80 overs unless it looses shape or is artificially damaged, a la Shahid Afridi. Which means, at some stage if someone comes up with a night-friendly and long lasting coloured ball, we may see advent of test cricket under flood lights. I am not comfortable with that argument; one reason being, as mentioned above, there is no economic reason to do so.
While I am not necessarily a traditionalist, I would still like to see test cricket being maintained as it is now. I love every new innovation introduced in cricket, like coloured balls and clothing and night ODIs and T20s. But test cricket is a pinnacle of skill and temperament of a player. It separates men from boys. It needs to be kept in its pure form.
There is also another reason in my opinion, to maintain test cricket as such. Every human being has a biological clock within. You normally perform best at a certain time of the day and start loosing physical and mental power as night approaches. I think it would be very difficult to play test cricket under conditions when adrenalin starts to wane and body starts to loose its optimum power, concentration starts flagging. Granted that all international players are now used to maintain optimal level of concentration while playing day-night cricket, I am not convinced that they will be able to maintain peak performance for FIVE DAYS continuously in a test match.
Additionally, drastic variation in playing temperatures from day (35°C) to night (20°C) can cause serious muscle/tendon injuries e.g. If a pace bowler has to start bowling at 9 pm after his batting is done, he may struggle to warm up the body sufficiently to be able to bowl at 150k without damaging muscles/tendons. It may be done after sufficient training regimes are devised, but I suspect the risk of injuries will be lot higher than at temperatures that do not vary significantly, especially when one has to exert for five consecutive days.
One critical aspect of any competition is that the condition should remain relatively similar for both sides. I know conditions change from session to session in test cricket and champion sides learn to conquer that. However, if gripping the ball becomes an issue, I believe that is a significant and unfair change to the playing condition, that actually makes one side less competitive than the other. I am referring to a critical factor that will be encountered in night cricket; dew. Recently we have seen that the dew made ball very wet at night resulting in sides choosing to bowl first under day light even after winning the toss on a flat track.
Test cricket is the ultimate test of a player and a team's capabilities, skills and attitude; physical and mental. Conditions must be perfect for such an encounter. I believe night cricket will change that significantly so that environmental conditions will become more important than skill. As the late Vijay Merchant would say, that my dear sir, is not cricket.
Care to share your Late Cuts?
Apparently it is argued that revenue from audience attendance for test cricket is diminishing and something needs to be done to attract the crowds back. Many administrators of the game seem to think that making test cricket a day-night affair will achieve that. They are convinced that this is the only way test cricket will survive. I am not sure about that. I believe economics of the game of cricket is based upon TV revenue more than audience attendance in stadium. It is a fact that any test series will make money if it is sufficiently attractive for subcontinent fans. More than 70% revenue from TV rights for any test series is generated by Indian corporates. Crowd attendance is hardly important. Now with ICC getting its fair share of cut from every TV deal and then sharing that revenue with ALL member associations, Indian corporates have become cash-cows for all cricket boards in the world. If there is sufficient interest on the sub-continent in a test series between any two nations, it will become a profitable proposition regardless of the number of spectators. I do not like that situation, but that is reality. And looking at some closely contested test series in recent times (Ashes in England, SA-Eng in SA, India-Australia, India-England and even India-NZ in NZ), audience have returned to test cricket, at least TV audience if not as much, at the venues. I believe that any series involving India, Australia, SA, England and Pakistan will make money regardless of number of spectators at the venue. Test cricket is alive and kicking; there could not have been a better example of that than today..
However, the powers that be, are convinced that night cricket is the only way forward for test cricket to survive. As you know, white, red, pink, fluoro lime are a few colours that have been trialled unsuccessfully. This season Cricket Australia trialled a pink ball in some representative games (Inter-state second eleven games). The results were hardly encouraging. The ball lost visibility after ~50 overs due to loss of colour. White ball which is used for ODIs have the same problem. Hence they introduced new rule recently to change the ball from 35th over every game. In test cricket ball is changed only after 80 overs unless it looses shape or is artificially damaged, a la Shahid Afridi. Which means, at some stage if someone comes up with a night-friendly and long lasting coloured ball, we may see advent of test cricket under flood lights. I am not comfortable with that argument; one reason being, as mentioned above, there is no economic reason to do so.
While I am not necessarily a traditionalist, I would still like to see test cricket being maintained as it is now. I love every new innovation introduced in cricket, like coloured balls and clothing and night ODIs and T20s. But test cricket is a pinnacle of skill and temperament of a player. It separates men from boys. It needs to be kept in its pure form.
There is also another reason in my opinion, to maintain test cricket as such. Every human being has a biological clock within. You normally perform best at a certain time of the day and start loosing physical and mental power as night approaches. I think it would be very difficult to play test cricket under conditions when adrenalin starts to wane and body starts to loose its optimum power, concentration starts flagging. Granted that all international players are now used to maintain optimal level of concentration while playing day-night cricket, I am not convinced that they will be able to maintain peak performance for FIVE DAYS continuously in a test match.
Additionally, drastic variation in playing temperatures from day (35°C) to night (20°C) can cause serious muscle/tendon injuries e.g. If a pace bowler has to start bowling at 9 pm after his batting is done, he may struggle to warm up the body sufficiently to be able to bowl at 150k without damaging muscles/tendons. It may be done after sufficient training regimes are devised, but I suspect the risk of injuries will be lot higher than at temperatures that do not vary significantly, especially when one has to exert for five consecutive days.
One critical aspect of any competition is that the condition should remain relatively similar for both sides. I know conditions change from session to session in test cricket and champion sides learn to conquer that. However, if gripping the ball becomes an issue, I believe that is a significant and unfair change to the playing condition, that actually makes one side less competitive than the other. I am referring to a critical factor that will be encountered in night cricket; dew. Recently we have seen that the dew made ball very wet at night resulting in sides choosing to bowl first under day light even after winning the toss on a flat track.
Test cricket is the ultimate test of a player and a team's capabilities, skills and attitude; physical and mental. Conditions must be perfect for such an encounter. I believe night cricket will change that significantly so that environmental conditions will become more important than skill. As the late Vijay Merchant would say, that my dear sir, is not cricket.
Care to share your Late Cuts?
Deepak,you should be a regular cricket columnist.Another FERPECT write-up.Like the Macdonald ads in India goes,"I AM LOVIN IT"Well researched article.Day-night temperature variations and related problems is a good point.Keep it up.Aage badho Deepak,hum tumhare saath hain.
ReplyDeleteI remember Cricket Australia (ACB back then) in late 90's also trailled the orange ball in a few day-night Sheffield Shield matches and results weren't all that encouraging (thus it was cancelled after one season). Some of the pitches, especially at the GABBA where it was almost unplayable at times in the 3rd session under floodlights as the fast bowlers were seaming the ball as much as Shane Warne's leggies!! - i remember Kasprowicz and Bichel tormenting the visiting batsmen!
ReplyDeletePersonally, there is no need to change Test Cricket just yet - especially when you are getting competitive test matches like we did yesterday & even the NZ/Bangladesh test match has been quite competitive till Bangladesh capitulated yesterday...
I know this thread is around test cricket day or day/night, however I would like to comment on bringing the crowds back to the ground.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about other countries and where they schedule their State cricket, but I feel there is merit in taking Sheffield Shield to regional areas. Why should all games be played in State Capitals ? Sure, play finals there but normal competition rounds play them “in the country”. Cricket Aust: should schedule matches to be played at places like Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Toowoomba and other major regional towns. Sorry I am not sure of names of towns in other states, but I’m sure there must be some of similar size and population to the ones I have mentioned. Newcastle did host a 4 day match this summer but as memory serves this has been only one of two matches played in “Newy” in the past 4 years. Why ?
Each year NRL schedule numerous matches outside of Capital Cities trying to increase gate takings and I believe it has worked. There are excellent players in the Aust: domestic competition and locals will turn up to watch first class cricket when played close to home. This in turn will encourage people to make the trip to Capital cities to watch their local hero’s play in the Baggy Green.
Want more people at the game, first take the game to the people !.
Hetal.
"Nice blog, I believe they should let lights be used in test cricket to complete 90 over quote of any given day of the match so that we dont have to wish for good day light to get game's outcome. Playing under lights may also give bowlers a little advantage that they have lost due to flat wickets. But they will have to replace red cherry with white ball to use flood lights in test cricket. so lots of issues they need to think about before they could get flood lights officially in test cricket.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nisha. Really glad to know that you love the game and stay in touch with it. I agree with the advantage to bowlers argument. That can be solved by making pitches in all parts of the world to a better standard; easier said than done, I agree. I will blog that issue separately. Pl continue to visit and if you like, please join as a follower so that you can get updates automatically.
ReplyDeleteHetal, issue you have raised DOES need a separate blog, as you have heard my ranting about that for some times now. In my opinion, Cricket Australia (CA) is still acting as "elitist" (a la Lords of the ECB). In India though, I am not sure if cricket has become a mass sport due to BCCI or in spite of it!! Having said that, BCCI has perhaps been the first ever cricket board which has administered game of cricket as a business. There in lies their success. CA's job is probably a bit more difficult since there are many games that share the platform here and a completely different culture to sports than in India. I hope to argue a bit better in my blog on this. Please stay tuned. Greatly appreciate your contribution. Thanks mate.