West Indies and Pakistan have agreed play a pink-ball Test match against each other in September in the UAE. The West Indies Cricket Board were initially said to be reluctant but the Pakistan Cricket Board's offer of a practice match and training sessions under lights appears to have changed its mind as the two teams have agreed to the Test in principle.
The tour is said to have 3 Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, which is a change in schedule. It was supposed to be two Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is.
In a bid to reinvent Test cricket and increase the number of supporters at the venue, cricket boards around the world are considering possibilities of holding day-night Test matches with the use of a pink cricket ball. There has been large support for this move.
The Adelaide Oval hosted the first ever day-night Test match when Australia hosted New Zealand from November 27, 2015. It was certainly a historic event as Australia romped home by 208 runs.
Currently, the Eden Gardens in Calcutta is holding India’s first day-night match with the use of a pink ball. The 4 day contest is being held between two prominent teams in Kolkata - Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore. The two teams are competing against each other in the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Super League final.
Sourav Ganguly, President of the CAB said, “Pink ball, to me, is the way forward. Firstly, with common sense, it gets people to the ground after work. You finish work at 5pm and then you come in the evening, spend a few hours, watch cricket and go back. Test match cricket is also played at a faster pace than what it used to be. You have got to market it.
You have got to find a way to bring people into the ground. Everything in life needs innovation. This [day-night Test cricket] is here to stay. It has got to be told to the people, like we sell IPL, like we sell T20 cricket, like we sell one-day cricket - that come have fun and go. Test cricket has to go that way.”
It certainly seems the way forward for Test cricket around the world.
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