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More day-night Tests to come: CA boss

28th November, 2015
10

Cricket Australia (CA) is willing to champion the cause of four-day Test matches while forecasting two day-night Tests on future domestic calendars.

CA’s chief executive James Sutherland says early feedback from the inaugural day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide is “glowing”.

He believes all future Adelaide Test matches could be day-nighters, adding that Brisbane is also a “good option” for the concept.

CA has held discussions with Pakistan hierarchy, who tour Australia next summer, about playing the next day-night Test.

“We are really keen on, I guess, continuing this,” Sutherland told ABC radio on Saturday.

“Right place, right time, right conditions of course. But it’s certainly something we would like to see in the future.”

Australia will play three Tests each against Pakistan and South Africa next summer.

Sutherland said approval from other national cricket boards was needed before pursuing further day-night Tests.

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“Perhaps England, India and others may be more conservative on this – time will tell,” he said.

Sutherland also said he was willing to champion the concept of four-day Test matches, played from Thursday to Sunday.

“I really like the idea of giving fans certainty about the schedule and the regularity,” he said.

“I think it’s a discussion that needs to continue on.

“Certainly, I am very supportive of the idea and pursuing that a little bit further. And the extent to which the ICC might allow that is something that I guess remains to be seen.”

Sutherland said daily playing hours could be extended to cater for four-day Tests and result in only about 40 overs being lost from the current five-day format.

“You could play a slightly longer day; you could speed up the overs a little bit,” he said.

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Sutherland suggested four-day Tests could be tied to other innovations including a world Test championship.

“Personally, I like it actually being connected to some other reforms around the relevance of Test cricket – perhaps as a Test championship where the result becomes even more important.

“I have heard that argument about perhaps no draws but also extra points maybe for a win – you see in soccer three points for a win, one point for a draw, that sort of thing is part of a league championship (and) adds extra relevance to that result and perhaps gets people to play differently.

“The other thing is pitches, pitches being prepared for a four-day game rather than necessarily a five-day game.

“And I think that is a big, big thing. That balance between bat and ball is really important and we haven’t seen that balance in the last two Test matches here.”

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