Channel Nine recently acquired the cricket rights for the next five years.
There has been talk that as early as November 2014 a Test match will be pencilled in to play in prime time, with Adelaide selected as the venue due to it’s dryer night conditions.
The playing hours would be between 1pm to 9pm.
What’s interesting is that Cricket Australia is targeting the playing hours of 1pm to 9pm, which suggests that cricket could still be played during daylight/twilight hours. I believe this is the right move.
I much prefer the oldest form of the game be played under natural light rather than at night. If night Test cricket did happen, it would be a win for television broadcasters, but the game itself would be the loser.
It would mean changing playing conditions to the extent that Test cricket becomes unrecognisable.
The topic of day-night Tests has been an ongoing debate for years now. The central issue to the debate has been what different playing conditions would result from playing Tests at night. There has also been discussion surrounding different coloured balls and different coloured sightscreens.
Purists and traditionalists of the game (like myself) would argue to leave Test cricket as it is. Played in daylight hours, Test cricket has been doing fine since 15th March 1877.
On the other side of the coin, many argue that the only way Test cricket will survive is if it’s played at night.
I believe for cricket to be relevant and progressive in the 21st century, Test cricket needs to tinker it’s playing hours, such as having a session of Test cricket been played after working hours. Give fans of the game a chance to watch it, rather then missing almost all of the day’s play due to work commitments.
Nine CEO David Gyngell has welcomed the possibility of Test cricket being played in prime time hours.
It’s no surprise really, as Nine would love to have more money coming in from advertisers, therefore making their cricket rights deal more profitable. Nine would always look to appease key markets such as Sydney and Melbourne in this.
Take Adelaide as an example. This year, the Adelaide Test will be played between 5-9th December. Sunsets range from 8:18 pm to 8:21pm throughout the match.
It’s worth remembering that Adelaide is half an hour behind the eastern states (NSW, Victoria and Tasmania), which means in those states the Adelaide Test could finish its broadcast at 9pm.
From there I was curious to see what the sunsets are to be in the other states during the days their respective Test matches are on.
Here are the five Tests scheduled for the Ashes with the sunset and also dusk times.
21-25 November – Gabba, sunset times 6:21pm to 6:25pm, dusk time 6:50pm (Brisbane is one hour behind NSW, Vic and Tas)
5-9 December – Adelaide, sunset times 8:18pm to 8:21pm, dusk times 8:47pm to 8:51pm (Adelaide is a half hour behind NSW, Vic and Tas)
13-17 December – Perth, N/A (Perth is three hours behind)
26-30 December – Melbourne, sunset 8:44pm, dusk 9:15pm
3-7 January – Sydney, sunset 8:10pm, dusk 8:39pm
Hypothetically if Hobart had a Test that was staged after Sydney:
10-14 January – Hobart, sunset 8:51pm, dusk 9:25pm
If Perth and Adelaide swapped places with their schedules, and have the Adelaide Test on 13-17 December, then the sunset times would be between 8:24pm to 8:27pm, and dusk times 8:54pm to 8:56pm.
So out of those sunset and dusk times, here is a possible revised playing scheduled for each Test. All times are in AEDST:
Brisbane:
First session: 12pm- 2pm
Second session: 2:40pm -4:40pm
Third session: 5pm-7pm
Adelaide:
First session: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Second session: 4:10pm-6:10pm
Third session: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Perth:
First session: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Second session: 4:10pm-6:10pm
Third session: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Melbourne:
First session: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Second session: 4:10pm-6:10pm
Third session: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Sydney:
1st session: 1pm-3pm
second session: 3:40pm-5:40pm
3rd session: 6pm-8pm
Hobart:
First session: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Second session: 4:10pm-6:10pm
Third session: 6:30pm-8:30pm
The times that I have listed above do push the boundaries as far as natural light is concerned. Perhaps all of those times could be pushed back half an hour.
Cricket is such a unique game in that you’re never entirely sure what time a typical day’s play of Test cricket ends.
The possible added half hour due to slow over rates is one concern, especially if you’re trying to fit a playing schedule into times of natural light.
When stumps are drawn in the times that I have listed above, it will be done before the sun sets. When you go into the extra half hour, you then walk into the twilight zone. During the last hour or so of play, the light towers would have to be switched on at the ground to assist with visibility.
Using artificial lights has helped when it’s either dull, overcast or twilight conditions. However, would it be safe playing cricket with a hard red ball coming at the batsman at 150km/hr nearing sunset or in twilight?
Would the ball be swinging more in those conditions, hence compromising the game? At this stage, the only answer I have is for Cricket Australia to trial these times in Shield cricket and take it from there
If play was lost due to rain, would you make up time the following day? And can that extra half hour due to slow over rates be made up the following day also? There are many things to consider.
I do have a gut feeling that Cricket Australia and Channel Nine would love to have an evening session, after the news, starting from 6:30pm and possibly going up to 9pm. It would certainly deliver higher ratings then your normal afternoon/evening session of 3:30pm to 6pm.
If that can be successfully managed, without the need to go to night Test cricket, then all parties concerned, Cricket Australia, the broadcasters and fans will benefit.
Despite the fact that the ICC in October last year permitted day-night Test matches, I do hope that Cricket Australia and Channel Nine strive to have Test cricket played in daylight/twilight.
Apart from tinkering the hours, at least there won’t be many changes to the playing conditions, which is the key issue.
Cricket Australia could show the world how Test cricket could be played in the future.
But Test cricket at night is just not cricket!
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