Players unconvinced by pink ball for day-night Tests

SYDNEY: The Australian Cricketers´ Association says the pink ball is not ready for day-night Tests and have cautioned administrators not to rush into the concept.

Australia trialled night sessions using the pink ball during the domestic Sheffield Shield season and has mooted hosting a first day-night test against New Zealand in November 2015.

"The overwhelming majority of players believe the pink Kookaburra ball isn´t yet ready for test cricket," ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said in a statement on the association´s website on Tuesday (www.auscricket.com.au).

"They´ve told us that it went soft very quickly, didn´t swing, didn´t seam and didn´t reverse swing. As such it is a ball that is very difficult to get batsmen out with, but also difficult to score runs against because it gets soft quickly."

Only 11 percent of players rated last season´s Sheffield Shield trial a success and just a quarter felt it provided a fair contest between bat and ball. "These stats are significant because they challenge the notion that Day/ Night Tests are a fait accompli."

The enthusiasm some have for the concept is understandable, however, in the ACA´s view the possibility of improved short-term commercial outcomes should not be enough to force this on the game prematurely.

"Cricket Australia and other administrations have weighed the concept for a number of years, hoping to tap into the possibility of broadcast dollars from bigger television audiences at home and abroad.

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen is among those far from bowled over by the innovation.

"Day/night Test cricket - what a joke! Hope all statistics start again then!" the South Africa-born player who was controversially dumped in the wake of England´s Ashes debacle earlier this year, said on his Twitter page.

"Public don´t watch cos there is too much cricket! And it´s expensive! Play less & public will be more interested!" wrote the 104-Test veteran, whose crowd-pulling aggressive batting is now confined to Twenty20 leagues and county cricket.

Australia, New Zealand push on with day-night Tests

SYDNEY: Cricket Australia said Monday it is pushing ahead with plans to stage an historic day-night Test match with New Zealand, possibly as early as the 2015-16 season.

CA chief executive James Sutherland and his New Zealand Cricket counterpart David White met in Melbourne last week during the International Cricket Council (ICC) annual conference to discuss the idea. They are devising plans to stage the match when New Zealand tour Australia in November 2015, with the venue to be determined, CA said.

The ICC gave its approval in 2012 for member countries to work together on staging Test cricket under lights. "We are serious about pushing ahead with the concept of day-night Test cricket," Sutherland said in a statement. "We feel it will only strengthen the position and possibilities for Test cricket in many parts of the world. There are many Test matches played during non-holiday periods when adults are at work and kids are at school and that´s not an ideal way to promote the highest form of the game."

Sutherland also said there was not a major team sport in the world that scheduled the majority of its premium content during the working week. "We´re not talking about playing the Boxing Day or New Year´s Test at night," Sutherland said. "The summer holiday period in Australia really lends itself to Test cricket, but at other times of the year it can be difficult for fans to attend or watch Test matches, be it here or in other parts of the world. That´s really at the heart of the issue. The challenge is to try to make Test cricket more accessible for fans."

White said his organisation was looking forward to contributing to the day-night Test concept, especially in terms of helping develop a new pink ball suitable for Test conditions.

"Australia continue to assess conditions to ensure they are appropriate to stage Test cricket at night, and we fully support that duty of care," White said in the CA statement.

Both governing bodies said they would continue to seek the opinion of players, spectators and broadcasters.

ICC chief executive David Richardson said he supported the idea. "I´m pleased that after the ICC board gave its thumbs-up during the 2012 annual conference and following extensive trials and debates, we are now at a stage when two of our members are contemplating playing the first-ever day-night Test".