Azhar Ali recently became the first person to score a triple century in a day – night test, which was only the second of its kind. As his post-innings comments show, this is a novel concept that will take some getting used to. A measure taken to fill the empty stadiums and make test cricket more popular; matches will take place during the night so working people on weekdays can come in the evenings.
However, many of test cricket’s traditions are based in its day only format, which has been the oldest and most iconic format of cricket. Starting in the morning, with breaks for lunch and tea, and the ending of the match with the gradual fading of playable light, the game’s unique appeal comes from its relationship with light and an element of an all-day toil.
Day – night test may become popular in the future, but the original format may well survive this iteration too.