In the increasingly political world of sporting administration, the International Cricket Council has indulged itself in a game of old fashioned Texas Hold Em’ poker.
If cricket metaphorically existed as the poker table, the game would be exclusively reserved for the ICC and members of the elite Test-playing nations – such is the narrow-minded restrictiveness engulfing the sport.
Nominally, the dealer is in the form of the armchair critic, a member of the crowd, a sporting fanatic – one and the same. He is the servant of the game that makes all successes possible. The game cannot proceed without the dealer’s consent, without the fan’s consent.
Yet as he stands at the end of the table, he exists behind a façade of false empowerment, believing that the game proceeds under his command. In truth, he is oblivious to the fact that he deals merely for show, easing the minds of others like him by his very inclusion in the ceremonial arrangements. It is the mother of all corporate misconceptions, in the mould of a Trojan horse.
In this game of poker, however, the ultimate prize is not as such financial, but rather progression and invention – the long overdue introduction of day-night Test cricket.
Naturally, each member-player must perform cynically, aware of the greater interests of the game but not immune to the ongoing effect on each’s own country. The decisions that are made, the cards that are dealt, directly influence the future prosperity of cricket.
The winning hand has essentially equated to the inauguration of day-night Test cricket.
It was an absolute game-changer. The introduction of day-night Test cricket passed its initial test with flying colours in Adelaide after three days of quality Test cricket.
But it was a single flying colour – that of the pink ball – that facilitated the reacquaintance of the public in monumental fashion at the Adelaide Oval.
It is early days, but over the duration of the match more than 123,000 people piled through the gates of Adelaide Oval to witness history. It is worth mentioning that these figures may, hypothetically, at least be largely inflated by the curiosity factor – those who attend under the mere guidance of trying something new rather than returning for the Test match in each successive year.
However, cricket officials, rights owners and administrators would be excused for swapping the usual Monday morning latte for a glass of Champagne – the expensive kind, of course, such was the profound effect following the unprecedented success and response to pink-ball cricket.
What was once an intriguing prospect with the potential to boost revenue and interest in the game has become a stark reality. Administrators are drooling over the prospect of an outrageous profit, not just numerically but ideologically too.
The inauguration of white clothes and play under the guidance of floodlights had Australia tickled pink with the novel idea of the refreshment of Test cricket.
Test cricket is in a corner, in a crippling position, exacerbated by ailing crowd attendance, poor pitches and an overarching lack of competitiveness.
This was the catalyst Test cricket needed to regain relevance in the modern sporting era. It was the required change to reintroduce the casual fan from the glitz and glamour from competitions like the Big Bash League back to the ebbs and flows of the more sedate but equally exciting Test match.
It is an irrefutable necessity to ensure the prosperity and longevity of the longest form of the game.
Cricket is a game obsessed with numbers and statistics. Following the run-infested, sleep-inducing opening two Tests there was a universal call for a fairer balance between bat and ball.
Irrespective of the fact that the Adelaide pitch was prepared with a considerable covering of grass to preserve the integrity of the pink ball, a fairer balance of the game was at least provided.
The swinging ball as a concept relies on atmospheric conditions rather than the influence of the pitch to trouble batsmen. As such, the pink ball produced swing both in daylight hours and at night, fomenting parity and a more exciting spectacle for the viewership.
For the first time in the series, the classy Trent Boult was able to threaten an Australian batting line-up with more holes in it than a Robert Allenby abduction story. The impervious rising star of Kane Williamson was for the first time in the series dismissed before reaching 50.
The pink ball has produced a welcome change in that respect, it allows unpredictability and with it excitement and nerves, the often underestimated traits that generate interest in an otherwise lacklustre day of play.
But it was not just the ball that justified the success of the concept, it was the ideological shift of the general public. It potentiated interest that had been notably absent from the fixtures in Brisbane and Perth.
As more than 47000 people crammed into Adelaide Oval on the first evening, a gregarious atmosphere has left an indelible mark on the sport’s administrators, eager to exploit the after-work ticket sales. Families were able to affordably set aside a Friday night at the cricket without taking out an extra mortgage on the house or without dad calling in sick for work.
Perhaps this is the most effective selling point for players that were ambivalent towards the concept – the lure of a Colosseum-like aura surrounding the players, intently gazing upon their every move with a patriotic approval that was previously only seen during the days of Bodyline.
As the night rang on and the Adelaide faithful quenched their thirst with some of the city’s finest ale, the cheering and jeering and crashing and bashing proceeded with monotonous regularity – much to the delight of all present.
And the involvement of the crowd is not to be understated.
It has become the norm in recent years for Test matches to be essentially played in ghost towns, haunting their way from a lifeless ground in Abu Dhabi to a graveyard-like atmosphere in Johannesburg. When compared with the almost incomparable thriving Twenty20 leagues, the necessity of change has never been more prevalent.
Then, of course, the commercial benefits are not to be overseen. Cricket Australia reported that 3.19 million tuned in for the final session of day two on Saturday, an unprecedented viewing audience outside of Ashes Cricket in recent years.
While it’s worth noting that financial gain from rights holders are of little consequence in the bigger scheme, Cricket Australia employs a rigorous financial funnelling system to ensure that improvements are made to the game at a grassroots level. Thus commercial benefits on a grand scale can improve Saturday morning cricket in Bowral, for instance.
But this is not to argue that all Test matches must become nocturnal affairs. There is a place for tradition and nostalgia in the modern game. A Boxing Day Test in Melbourne or New Year’s Test in Sydney falls within the confines of the festive break and both Tests have historically been well supported.
They are considered sacrosanct by many and should remain untouched. But a faltering crowd in Brisbane or Hobart in early November is not sustainable for the future of the game and measures must be taken to ensure they do not become largely obsolete fixtures.
Of course, there are barriers to overcome. Most notably, the tentativeness of the players and their hesitancy towards the pink ball are understandable and not to be ignored. Channel Nine’s Mark Taylor all but held Steve Smith hostage in the post-match interview until the Australian captain finally submitted and admitted how good the entertainment of the day-night Test was.
It was a moral victory for the broadcaster if ever there was one when judging against Steve Smith’s initial reluctance to convey the side’s pleasure of the concept, instead concerned with the visibility of the pink ball.
Further compounding this issue is the suitability of day-night Test cricket in other locations around the world. In England, where the summer evenings and twilight hours extend until 10pm, the requirement of floodlights in a day-night Test would become largely unnecessary.
Compounding this notion is the ever traditional members of the cricketing community who are of the view that day-night Test cricket is just … well … just not cricket.
But this is an argument entirely reliant on objectivity rather than opinion. The interest generated by the day-night Test makes it clear that the Test was an immeasurable success.
Retain the rose coloured spectacles, day-night Test cricket is here to stay.
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