Waugh bats for day-night Tests
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh said players need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to day-night Tests and felt that the format could save the longer form of the game worldwide.
Players like Adam Voges, Peter Siddle and Tom Latham expressed concerns over the deterioration of the pink ball after the Prime Minister’s XI-New Zealand clash on an abrasive pitch at Canberra’s Manuka Oval last Friday.
But, Waugh said the potential for day-night games transforming Test cricket, particularly in countries where the crowds as well as the interest is dwindling, is too great to ignore.
Good initiative
“I think it’s a great initiative for cricket. Test cricket is withering away in a lot of countries. Australia and England are the only places where people come to watch Tests, so we have to stimulate excitement and get people watching again. Once we play one (day-night) Test, people will go,” said Waugh.
“People want to see a little bit of change. Sometimes it’s hard for the players to understand that, but sometimes you’ve got to see the bigger picture for the good of Test cricket,” the batting great added.
“It might not be a perfect ball, it might discolour a bit and it might be tough for the batsmen for some portion of the match, but it’s been that way for one-day cricket since it started.
“There’s always been that twilight area after tea where the lights are not quite perfect, but you just get on with it,” said Waugh.
Waugh, 50, has been a long-time supporter of day-night Tests, saying the idea had been discussed during his eight years on the Marylebone Cricket Club’s World Cricket Committee.
“That was one of the things we were pushing for probably 10 years ago. I think it’s needed,” he added. — IANS
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