The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly proposed the playing of day and night Tests in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates in a bid to attract bigger crowds.
According to Sport24, the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2012 had approved the idea of day-night matches played under floodlights as a way to stop decreasing interest in Tests in many countries and has left it to individual boards to decide when and how to experiment as no country had yet tried the new format.
Confirming the proposal, PCB spokesperson Nadeem Sarwar said that a discussion on the colour of the balls to be used was under way with the Sri Lankan board given that the challenge facing such Tests has been to find a ball that is clearly visible in both sunshine and floodlights.
Sarwar further said that the PCB has sent the Sri Lankan cricket authorities a dozen cricket balls of pink and orange colour to conduct further tests.
According to the report, the ICC had appreciated the five-day final of PCB's premier first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, under lights in December 2011.
As Pakistan will host Sri Lanka for three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s in December and January in the UAE, Sarwar felt that the conditions are right to experiment as there would be no dew at that time and it would also be feasible to play under lights.
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However, Sarwar dismissed the notion that the proposal would cost more to an already financially-hit PCB, saying that they have found out from studies that day-night Tests will generate more public interest and in turn more gate money, adding that the sponsors are also interested as they get prime time viewing.
The first Test starts in Dubai on December 31, while the other two Tests are in Abu Dhabi (January 8-12) and Sharjah (January 16-20), the report added.
