Lord’s light up to idea of staging pink-ball Test match

Lord's
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images
Tom Collomosse7 October 2016

The MCC will step up plans to host a day/night Test at Lord’s if next year’s floodlit match at Edgbaston is successful.

England face West Indies next August in Birmingham, in the first pink-ball Test staged in this country. Standard Sport revealed earlier this year that ECB chiefs were planning the experiment and the match will go ahead from August 17-21, 2017.

MCC has pioneered the use of the pink ball, with the pre-season champion county fixture staged under lights in Abu Dhabi. Lord’s chose not to enter the race for a day/night Test next year, however, partly as they do not host West Indies until September 7-11 — unusually late in the summer.

But Standard Sport understands MCC retain a strong interest in hosting a day/night Test at the home of cricket. While that is unlikely to happen as early as 2018, Lord’s chiefs are committed to examining the possibility in detail.

MCC head of cricket John Stephenson said: “We are delighted that the ECB have decided to take this step. MCC has been instrumental in conducting research into day/night Test cricket for many years. We have both trialled pink-ball matches at Lord’s and overseas and in working with equipment manufacturers and scientists to help develop the ball itself.

“The MCC world cricket committee has long supported the introduction of day/night Test cricket to help arrest declining attendances around the world and thus ensure the viability and health of the purest form of the game.

“The first day-night Test was staged very successfully in Adelaide last year, and a second is about to be played next week in Dubai between Pakistan and West Indies. The ECB’s decision is further confirmation that this format has an important part to play.

“MCC is working with both the ECB and Warwickshire CCC to help ensure the success of the first day-night Test in England next year.”

The first floodlit Test between Australia and New Zealand saw 125,000 attend over the three days. Yet scepticism remains among the players about the quality of the pink ball.

Earlier this year, ECB chairman Colin Graves told Standard Sport: “Day-night Test cricket could well give the five-day game the boost it needs.”

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