Embracing change: Javed Miandad supports day-night Tests

World Cup winner up for experiments as long as they improve the spectacle of cricket

KARACHI: For once, both the cricket and the cricketers will play second fiddle to the atmosphere and the environment of a match as hosts Australia and New Zealand clash in the first-ever day-night Test, with the world’s eyes on the way the pink ball behaves under lights in Adelaide.

The experiment at the highest level is a dive into the unknown in a bid to keep the Test format valid for future generations, with commercialisation dictating terms in the present era of T20 cricket.

Change is not always easy in cricket, torn between the traditions of the past and the demands of the future. But former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has backed the experiment of day-night Tests, stating that he is not against change as long as it is for the betterment of cricket.

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“The basic idea of day-night Tests is to have packed audiences, which isn’t bad at all,” Miandad told The Express Tribune. “There will always be people who will question the experiments but if it’s good for the game, it should be done. Then its fate can be decided through the players’ feedback.”



Miandad cited the example of the infamous Kerry Packer World Series that pioneered cricket under lights. “In our days, no one knew what ODI cricket was, until Kerry Packer emerged and changed the world,” said the World Cup winner. “There was resistance but then ODIs became a big hit and now a similar thing has happened with T20Is.”

However, Miandad warned that the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Test-playing nations should maintain a balance between the integrity of the game and its financial demands.

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“In doing these experiments, we must ensure that cricket’s spirit isn’t lost in the glitz and glamour of making the game more viable from a commercial aspect,” he added. “If that can be ensured, I’ve no problems with such Tests.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2015.

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