Daniel Brigham: Counties Cause Floodlight Failure
October 5th, 2009 by Daniel Brigham in County cricket, England, International, Test cricketSometimes the counties just don’t help themselves. The excellent plan for Lord’s to host the first-ever floodlit Test match next summer was abandoned over the weekend and it seems that Durham and Worcestershire may be to blame.
The MCC had hoped that the match against Bangladesh would be the first day/night Test but the ICC first wanted to see a successful trial – primarily to check if the pink ball would last 80 overs.
According to the Sunday Times, Durham and Worcestershire were approached to trial the use of the pink ball in the final round of County Championship matches, but both declined. Durham’s coach, Geoff Cook, admitted he wasn’t keen: “It was a first-class match and I thought we should retain the game’s integrity”.
It’s not just a meaningless Championship game’s integrity at stake, it’s Test cricket’s future. It seemed a sensible choice of match as nothing was riding on the outcome – Durham were already champions and Worcestershire long since relegated.
Without help from the self-serving counties, the MCC, admirably proactive on this matter, should insist on trialling the pink ball in the MCC v Champions match at Lord’s at the start of the domestic season next year. Heck, why not even make it a day/nighter.
Daniel Brigham is assistant editor of The Wisden Cricketer
Posted in County cricket, England, International, Test cricket | 4 Comments »
October 5th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
People don’t want to watch Bangladesh because they are not competitive. Making it a floodlit test doesn’t solve this problem.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
You may be right, queenslander, but the concept wasn’t going to be just a one-off for the Bangladesh Test. It would have been a trial
and, if successful, then it could boost Test-match audiences around the world, which is what everyone should want.
It wasn’t just a ploy to get more people to attend the England v Bangladesh Test …
October 6th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Hi Daniel
A fluorescent pink ball was trialled in a first class day/night match in 1997 – Western Australia v Queensland – and found wanting. If pink is such a high visibility colour why have no emergency services ( apart from Lady Penelope’s Rolls Royce ) adopted it. MCC picked on the wrong county in asking Durham as the Litesome abdominal protector is perhaps the only pink cricketing accessory that any self respecting Northerner would find remotely tolerable.
October 7th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Good point Steve. Maybe all balls should be made to flash like ambulance lights.