Day/Night Test Matches

[Ahmad94]

I wonder how long before test cricket gets scrapped?

It is not bringing in the revenue, and in 95% of games, the stadium is mostly empty. (excluding Ashes, and Indian home test matches)

 

[vorgaphe]

It wasn't that long ago that players had to wear an all-white uniform at the Wimbledon tennis championships. Even lawn bowlers are now allowed to wear coloured uniforms.

This isn't even about uniforms or the duration of the game. It's about when the game is played.

It's about the tradition and the image of the game of the cricket. It's these that give cricket its unique character. It's one of the quirkiest and most unique sports in the world thanks to these traditional idiosyncrasies.

 

[Bluey Zarsoff]

It's about the tradition and the image of the game of the cricket. It's these that give cricket its unique character. It's one of the quirkiest and most unique sports in the world thanks to these traditional idiosyncrasies.

The same can be said for the Wimbledon tennis championship. The 'stuffed shirts' at Wimbledon finally relented and allowed coloured player outfits and have lost nothing in the process.

I hope we never see coloured player uniforms in cricket. But I believe day/night test cricket is worth a try, and if it doesn't work out they can just revert back to day time play only - it's that simple and that little risk

I'm a traditionalist, but I'm also a realist.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

The same can be said for the Wimbledon tennis championship. The 'stuffed shirts' at Wimbledon finally relented and allowed coloured player outfits and have lost nothing in the process.

I hope we never see coloured player uniforms in cricket. But I believe day/night test cricket is worth a try, and if it doesn't work out they can just revert back to day time play only - it's that simple and that little risk

I'm a traditionalist, but I'm also a realist.

this isn't really an accurate portrayal of wimbledon, wimbledon allowed players to spruce up their outfits with a little colour from as far back as the 70s (look up picutres of borg), and while there were calls at some point to do away with the "whites" most people regard them standing firm as a masterstroke.

on the whole it's a brilliantly marketed tournament, it's modern where it needs to be and uses it's tradition to sell itself. it manages to come across exclusive while being far more accesible to the average fan than almost all equivalently important sporting events.

cricket hasn't been anywhere near as nuanced. stuff like night matches would increase the interest and marketability, wimbledon would never shoot itself in the foot repetively like that. cricket really could learn alot from looking at the way wimbledon manage their sport, use the tradition as a selling point, not as something that holds back the development of the sport.

 

[SaiSrini]

Assuming most are talking about watching the matches on TV as opposed to flying round the world to watch, TV doesn't have to broadcast it live. In fact it would be better if you could just tune into a channel and once you do the cricket/whatever starts.

So taking out the armchair factor, is there a lot of gain to day/night cricket? I'm assuming we will ignore the environmental factor of powering the stadium needlessly with floodlights etc, and assume all attending are on local time hours ie sleep at night, wake during the day according to the host country.

So what do you gain? If we're talking 2pm-10.30pm what do you gain? The argument about people needing to travel or take time off work doesn't really work, 9-5pm doesn't end at 2pm anyway and you'd still need to travel, if you do, either way. You could do a half day, but might as well take a whole day, I've yet to do a day of Test cricket that didn't involve early morning to late evening so most of the waking day ie it's basically a long haul.

So we could argue atmosphere, well it isn't football and never will be. The artificial atmosphere of the laughable IPL would be hard to mimick in Tests anyway, and is the atmosphere TRULY any better for day night ODIs than day ODIs?!?!?!?

Nah, can't see a gain, not one that is worth breaking with tradition. Instead of focusing on the time of Tests, maybe they should focus more on the nature and structure of Tests ie get Ireland and the non-Test nations into tiers/Tests.

It isn't really about tradition, it seems to be changing something for the sake of it and trying to make it sound like it's a change for the better when it has no obvious merits or it would have been done a long time ago. I think someone just sees it as a dying format and is trying to make radical changes.

The one daft thing about day-night Tests has become very obvious, KIDS. If we want to get kids into cricket then I'd suggest late finishes would make parents unwilling to send young kids to watch it.

Could be designed to 'save' Tests and have exactly the opposite effect. A better move would be free to air TV coverage (again), the Olympics were on TV and suddenly every kid wants to win a gold medal. Only highlights are currently available in England if you don't sell your soul to s*y.

But it's all about the money, assuming the reduced exposure doesn't decrease the amount of future generations going to and watching it on TV................... Put Tests on late afternoon and night and see if that doesn't kill it off for good, I may be wrong but it is food for thought

I am sorry my friend, but you are totally wrong here. There are many cricket audience who don't even watch a game on TV if its not live. If they know that the game that they are watching is "not live", they would rather check the scores on Cricinfo. The thrill of watching a live game, even on TV, is different. I for one, don't watch non-live games. I spent money to watch IPL games on a website even though YouTube was providing free 3-hr delayed telecasts. A live game is of prime importance, and thereby the time assumes prime prime importance. Also when you know that the game is over and its telecast recorded, then people will attempt to skip to the interesting parts. There is so much in favor of live games.

 

[Bluey Zarsoff]

There are many cricket audience who don't even watch a game on TV if its not live. If they know that the game that they are watching is "not live", they would rather check the scores on Cricinfo. The thrill of watching a live game, even on TV, is different...

Live telecasts are infinitely more attractive to TV audiences than delayed telecasts and replays

 

[Owzat]

I am sorry my friend, but you are totally wrong here. There are many cricket audience who don't even watch a game on TV if its not live. If they know that the game that they are watching is "not live", they would rather check the scores on Cricinfo. The thrill of watching a live game, even on TV, is different. I for one, don't watch non-live games. I spent money to watch IPL games on a website even though YouTube was providing free 3-hr delayed telecasts. A live game is of prime importance, and thereby the time assumes prime prime importance. Also when you know that the game is over and its telecast recorded, then people will attempt to skip to the interesting parts. There is so much in favor of live games.

Speaks volumes about the TV audience, still don't agree with scheduling English Tests say at night so s*y or whoever can have a huddled number of foreigners maybe watching England play while I for one would switch to checking out the score the next day. That is assuming everyone is like you and there's enough like that to make the TV overseas audience outweigh the fans in that country

That is assuming your assertion I am "totally wrong" is not "totally wrong" itself, plenty of sports fans watch non-live events, in fact I'm not sure you can truly call yourself a fan if you just check out updates. if we're now going to just schedule matches to time India/Asia then f*ck cricket, I think I'll just stick with football. I couldn't give two sh1ts about a bunch of Indians sat in front of their TV dictating when a game is on, and frankly if the LIVE audience ie spectators diminishes then the game is truly screwed.

As I said if kids aren't taken to matches so johnny indian can sit and watch a match that isn't even including India then again I say it will be detrimental. Block live updates if necessary, this stupidity would be the trigger of the death of Test cricket if anything, jumped up fools in front of their TV saying they'll check out live updates otherwise and $$$$$ dictating it.

C5 can't broadcast highlights until after a certain time has elapsed, I'm sure s*y and other broadcasters could be forced to similar constraints as T&Cs of an event taking place. Was it BCCI or some sporting body who blocked journalists entering a ground until they'd signed up to some agreement or other, there was quite a hoo haa about it at the time and TMS were fuming.


As much as I might like to follow England down under and in India etc I most certainly don't have the stamina to work during the day and stay awake late at night/early morning. Sorry pal, but even if you're right on the TV audience overall the live audience (spectators) should be first consideration. If they're looking to kill the game off it'd be quicker just to give BCCI complete control (or the TV "fans" who ain't really fans but instant gratification merchants)

 

[cricket_icon]

Day/Night Test matches? Let's do it I say. Why not? Tradition? That's the most flimsy reason of all, it's a sport, if it wants to grow, bring in wider audiences and compete with different aspects of itself for viewership then go right ahead.

But don't do it the typical ICC way, do it with a full intention to see things through. Research which is the best possible ball, colour, make etc etc. Have the necessary lights available at any stadia wishing to put on day/night tests.

Contrary to what people say that this is pandering to certain demographics of the TV audience...so what? There are people at work all day or in schools and universities. They want to watch cricket, they may even arrive at the stadium a bit later, give them the chance to view the match, if it's at night then let's do it. What's the problem? I honestly don't see it.

 

[Abishak11]

a news that i read that d/n test matches can be played with pink ball

 

[Bluey Zarsoff]

a news that i read that d/n test matches can be played with pink ball

This is correct. Kookaburra have been working to make their pink ball last longer and at this stage it is the preferred colour to be used for day/night Shield cricket in Australia, and should that trial prove successful, a day/night test between Australia & NZ in 2015.

 

[MUFC1987]

I think that's the major issue at the moment, the ball. Once somebody comes up with a pink ball that lasts as well as a red one, someone will take the plunge and have a go at a day/night test, for sure.

 

[Bluey Zarsoff]

I think that's the major issue at the moment, the ball. Once somebody comes up with a pink ball that lasts as well as a red one, someone will take the plunge and have a go at a day/night test, for sure.

Australia and New Zealand have already agreed in principal to take the plunge and play a day/night test in 2015. The Shield day/night matches are trials to ensure everything works as it ought to.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

the current schedule is one of the worst I can remember, I'm not a huge ashes fan and it's been about 6 months since I've taken a proper interest in a series.

I mean, I'm clearly a bit of a nut spending half my time on a cricket forum, talking about cricket, and here I am getting bored out of my skull by it, can't bode well for people that just have a passing interest.