The >first day-night Test at Adelaide, between Australia and New Zealand, in the end provided cricket thrilling enough to match the high interest in the long-form game’s boldest innovation in a long time. While it is clear that >pink-ball cricket is here to stay , it is uncertain whether it simply gives administrators options for scheduling play or whether it will, in fact, revolutionise Test cricket. There had been much anticipation on how how the pink ball, coloured so for white-clothed batsmen and fielders to be able to sight in day-time and under the floodlights, would hold up — and on this account, there is no reason to suggest that the experiment cannot be replicated. Therefore, the pink-ball, day-night option could allow for the uncertainties of bad light to be overcome, and for administrators to start the game later to attract after-work crowds, as the one-day international has done for decades now, and Twenty20 more recently. But is it the day-ness of a Test match alone that periodically raises the fear among cricketers and fans that the format may not survive for much longer? Put another way, would day-night play give Test matches enough of a bump in appeal to regularly pull in crowds and television audiences who sustain abbreviated versions of the game, especially the Indian Premier League? Further, is the problem with Test cricket one of its early-morning start alone?
There are many challenges for Test cricket today. The geography of Test cricket is currently shrinking, bringing down the match-up options. The West Indies, for instance, is not able to adequately finance it. For reasons of security, Pakistan does not have the option of playing its “home” Test actually at home. Test matches need context to be memorable, and Pakistani cricketers miss the historical overhang of home stadia and the presence of home crowds at makeshift venues like Dubai. In any case, India’s strange resistance to reviving bilateral cricketing ties denies Pakistan the interest and revenue that come with their keenest rivalry. India is denied too — but India is assured of broadcast revenue no matter who it plays. In any case, the so-called Big Three — India, England, Australia — have ganged up to privilege their priorities above the older each-Test-nation-plays-every-other egalitarianism. Moreover, with the slapdash rush to squeeze in as much cricket as possible, especially with the IPL reducing the overall time for international cricket, boards deny touring teams the preparatory matches against domestic teams that acclimatised them to conditions. This has resulted in many more one-sided matches, reducing their appeal significantly. If the pink-ball innovation is an indication that boards are thinking of the many challenges that face Test cricket, it will inspire hope. Else, in and of itself, it will just remain a fine curiosity.
