FOR THE FUTURE OF TEST CRICKET.
From the starting of the game cricket,it has seen many revolutions which have increased the level of competition between the teams and many new formats of cricket is entertaining many cricketing fans all over the Globe. the oldest format of cricket and most technically challenging format for the players, The first officially recognized Test match began on 15 March 1877, between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where Australia won by 45 runs. A Test match to celebrate 100 years of Test cricket was held in Melbourne from 12 to 17 March 1977, in which Australia beat England by 45 runs—the same margin as that first Test.
In October 2012, the International Cricket Council recast the playing conditions for Test matches, permitting day/night Test matches.
The first day/night game is scheduled to take place between Australia and New Zealand at the
Adelaide Oval , Adelaide on 27 Since the test matches are played in traditionally in white clothes
But in day/night matches using a red ball may be difficult or impossible for the players to watch the ball in the night So the two test playing nations involved in playing the historic dat/night test match has agrees to play with a new colour ball(THE PINK BALL)
The pink was not the first choice for the manufacturers but with the playing conditions they have to agree without any other choice
During its tenure of so many years test has seen many faces but the priority of the fans to watch test cricket and watch test cricket has Decreased. Over the years all over the World
Test matches has became uninteresting after the introduction of one day cricket and t-twenty cricket
But test cricket is most important and interesting
So it is important save the game from vanishing
So to improve the situation. Cricket Australia and New Zealand cricket have put a step forward
The two cricketing nations
Are making history by playing the first day/night test match
But there is a special occasion for the Indian cricket as the indian umpire.S Ravi will be taking guard as one of the onfield umpire
Let's hope this historic match improve the situation for the test cricket
So why,at a time when Test matches are struggling to attract crowds in many parts of the world, has it taken so long for the long-form game to be played under lights?Conservatism among the old guard is far from the only reason. There is also a technical challenge which, for those unacquainted with the peculiarities of Test cricket, will no doubt seem absurd: manufacturers have yet to produce a suitable ball. Red balls are no more visible against a night sky than they were in 1977. And Mr Packer’s solution, to use white balls, wouldn’t work for five-day matches, since they are quickly stained by the grass. In one-day internationals that doesn’t matter: the deteriorating ball is changed after 25 overs for a pristine one. A ball in a five-day match, on the other hand, must last a long time. Fielding sides only get the chance of a new one every 80 overs. For an innings starting at 11.00am, for example, that may not arrive until 5.00pm.The changing condition of those 5¾ ounces (163g) of hard leather often governs the balance of power between two teams. A new “cherry”, which is shiny and hard, tends to swing more in the air and bounce more quickly off the pitch; the fielding side will usually employ their fastest and most skillful bowlers to exploit that advantage. Batting is tough initially, and generally becomes less taxing as the ball gets older. But not always. If the fielding team has looked after the ball well for 40 overs—keeping one side dry and rough, and the other smooth—then it can start swinging in unexpected directions, making it almost unplayable.Such subtleties have made it almost impossible to find a color of ball that works under lights for Test cricket. Too light, and the leather will scuff. Too dark, and the batsman won’t see it until it whistles past his nose. After many fruitless experiments, the ball in Adelaide this week will be bright pink. But not everyone is convinced that it will work. Players say that the pink ball softens more quickly than a traditional red one. No one seems to know exactly why it behaves differently. Maybe it is just confirmation bias; cricketers are expecting it to misbehave and are so look for evidence that it does. But the best theory is that it is because different colored balls need to be finished in different ways, using suitable pigments and waxes. According to an excellent primerin the Guardian, when pink balls are manufactured in a similar way to red ones, they go too dark when polished (a shiny ball is essential to encourage swing).
To stop pink balls losing lustre, natural oils must be used to achieve shine rather than buck fat. Perhaps for this reason, after a trial in Australian domestic matches last year, 94% of the players said pink balls showed different signs of"wear and tear". Only 11% thought the experiment a success.More worryingly, only half said the pink ball was easy to see under lights. And after another experiment last month, Josh Hazlewood, an Australian player, said that fielders standing at point—a position at a right angle to the batsman, where the ball often flashes through at ferocious speed—could be especially endangered because they might not pick up sight of the ball. Such issues strike a particular resonance for the Aussies. One of their colleagues, Phillip Hughes, died after being hit by a cricket ball in a match earlier this year. For all the benefits that day-night Test cricket would bring, it must not come at the expense of safety
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| PHILLIP HUGHES |