LONDON - The world cricket committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club — English cricket’s original lawmakers — has following its annual meeting recommended suggested that the inaugural day/night, floodlit Test should be held in the Indian subcontinent, if not in India.
The MCC announced on Wednesday: “The committee suggests that the first day/night Test Match should be played in a country where attendances are currently poor, at grounds and times when there is little dew, and at an accessible venue.”
India has been suffering from low turnouts at Tests because of the BCCI’s aversion to the game’s highest form, but there is no doubt that it remains the only format that truly examines a cricketer and determines supremacy in the eyes of the discerning follower.
While such matches should be aggressively promoted and regularly hosted in cities with a likely appreciation for them — such as arguably Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore — they are usually rotated between countless centres, most of which have little interest in the five-day game and sometimes lack connectivity in terms of public transport.
Also, clearly, a day/night Test has to take place in a drier and warmer part of the year. The MCC went on to say: “The committee believes that, if white clothing is considered a necessity for Test Matches.
, the pink ball, now much improved.....is the best option.” And it reiterated: “The committee also believes that a Test Championship will provide a better context for interest in Test cricket.”
Regarding Twenty20, the committee concluded that “the appeal of Test cricket will be lessened if the conflict with domestic T20 competitions (interpreted as events like the IPL) is too stark”. It added that Test cricket is also “threatened by players who are relatively poorly-paid”.
With regards to the Decision Review System ( DRS) and Hawk-Eye technology, the MCC said the committee “hopes that the time will not be too far away when all countries will agree to its use” — meaning that the BCCI will stop dragging its feet!
The committee was addressed by Paul Hawkins, founder of Hawk-Eye, during its two-day session.