By Madan Mohan
There, I said it. There are a few things that are guaranteed to absolutely incense fervent Test purists. And one of them is advocating the idea of playing Tests under lights.
Published: Jun 26, 2012, 10:24 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 26, 2012, 10:24 AM (IST)
Play continues under the rain clouds and floodlights during day one of the 1st Npower Test match between England and India at Lords on July 21, 2011 © Getty Images
By Madan Mohan
There, I said it. There are a few things that are guaranteed to absolutely incense fervent Test purists. And one of them is advocating the idea of playing Tests under lights.
Yeah, I know…I probably started watching cricket through the Indian Premier League (IPL) and have the attention span of a gnat, right? Only philistines who fail to see the divine purity of Test cricket could, after all, vote for heresie.
Wrong! I have watched Test cricket since the mid 90s. I can’t claim to have watched it since the 70s (though that would sound more impressive) because I wasn’t born then. Test cricket remains the format I am most likely to enjoy watching. I am not going to say One-Day International (ODI) cricket or Twenty20 cricket is bad. I have just watched too much cricket and now need to be more selective to enjoy the experience.
So…back to day-night Tests. While the pitfalls and their consequences for the format are many, to my mind, the practical considerations far outweigh aesthetic issues. The problem is, its just very difficult to ensure a good audience, whether at the ground or on TV, for a match played entirely in the daytime except on the weekends. As simple as that.
Like many other cricket fans, I work during the day and only get to spend a couple of hours at best watching TV at night. Over the past few weeks, I found myself having to choose either one of a not-particularly-engrossing Test series between England and West Indies and some more exciting tennis, courtesy the French Open. And I thought then that if there was a Test series going in the subcontinent now, I would barely have time to check the score, let alone watch it.
I obviously cannot bunk work to watch a day’s play of Test cricket because it is impractical and insensible. There may be people who are prepared to do that, but I should hope Test cricket does not place its future solely in the hands of such uber-zealous fans for their numbers are too few to attain break-even.
Look at the Ashes, the zealots say, it still gets huge crowds, far more than the ODIs. Sure, but even a contest as evergreen as the Ashes depends on attracting the interest of a certain generation of people. A generation who have grown up on Test cricket and cannot contemplate a cricketing universe without it. With domestic Twenty20 competitions now part of the English and Australian itinerary, such a thought will not be so outrageous to consider for future generations.
Not when there’s no dearth of Twenty20 advocacy from the players themselves, many of whom are fine Test players at that. Just because something has lasted a hundred years, does not guarantee its continued existence for the next hundred. Kodak film is out of fashion and digital cameras are in – just saying.
But what really are the pitfalls of the day night format? Firstly, we still haven’t found the right kind of ball for Test cricket by the night. Only when the pink ball gets wider acceptance and is deemed match fit will progress become easier. Secondly, dew would make it hard for bowlers to grip the ball and this would profoundly affect the dynamics of Test cricket. Without a worn out ball, spinners cannot get the purchase they desire and pace bowlers cannot produce reverse swing. This is a problem even limited-overs cricket faces, but gets by. Perhaps, that would have to happen in Test cricket as well.
Please bear in mind that similar gripes were made when Wimbledon, arguably the most prestigious of all Grand Slam tennis tournaments, got a roof for the rains. There were fears, not entirely unfounded, that it would make the surface slower and spectators would be subjected to baseline slug fests. However, persistent rain delays drive away more spectators than such aesthetic considerations.
It is far better to have a marginally transformed Wimbledon than to not have Wimbledon at all. Wimbledon is still played at SW19, in all whites and British royalty still graces the occasion. The floodlights may give Test cricket a new lease of life at a time when it faces relentless battering from commentators (many, ironically, being former Test players) and stern questions about its future.
To believe all such fears are either entirely unfounded or completely ‘motivated’ may be wishful thinking. There is nothing else in cricket like a five day, sprawling epic. And for that reason alone, Test cricket must be preserved at least by making it easier for those of us who do love the format to watch it.
(Madan Mohan is a 26 year old chartered accountant from Mumbai. The writing bug bit him when he was eight and to date, he has not been cured of it. He loves music, cricket, tennis and cinema and writing on cricket is like the icing on the cake. He also writes a blog if he is not feeling too lazy at http://rothrocks.wordpress.com/)
