Sunday, July 4, 2010

Waugh says time is right for floodlit Tests

London: Australia abundant Steve Waugh has accustomed a angle from Marylebone Candid Club's (MCC) apple candid board for the actual addition of day/night Test cricket.


"I anticipate it will be great," above Australia captain Waugh, a board member, told a account appointment at Lord's on Friday.


"There is consistently activity to be attrition to change, because it takes bodies out of their abundance zone," he said.


"But I anticipate as a amateur I would adulation it, embrace it - a day/night Test match, and the adventitious to be allotment of history."


While crowds for the five-day bold accept captivated up able-bodied in England, in countries such as India attendances for Test matches accept been in abatement for several years.


One long-proposed band-aid is day/night Test candid area assemblage can appear already the alive day is finished, with one-day internationals beneath lights accepting accepted accepted with crowds all annular the apple aback they were pioneered in Australia some 30 years ago.


"Test candid needs these things to get bodies aback watching it," insisted Waugh who, forth with his MCC colleagues, acutely believes there is no charge for the International Candid Council (ICC) to assert on the added analysis the all-around administering anatomy has said is bare afore giving the go-ahead.


An altercation adjoin day/night Tests has been that, with a accepted red brawl too difficult to see beneath the floodlights, the white brawl now acclimated in all one-day internationals would not angle up to the rigours of a five-day game.


But MCC abettor secretary John Stephenson insisted the acknowledged balloon of day-night four-day candid with a blush brawl in this year's English division admission best canton accoutrement in Abu Dhabi, had apparent that problem.


"We should not adjournment in presenting day-night Test candid as an advantage for those Test-playing countries that are disturbing to allure an audience," Stephenson said.


"We say this anatomy of the bold is applicable now," the above England batsman added. "We accepted it in Abu Dhabi with the four-day bold beneath lights. It was the absolute experiment, and approved this bold should go advanced now.


"We don't charge addition 18 months of research. The apple of candid is ready. It should not wait; the time is now."