ICC chief: Hosting four-day Tests is not immediate priority

GN
Published: July 01, 2009, 22:52

Dubai: The idea of hosting four-day Test matches is very much on the radar of International Cricket Council (ICC) but is not one of the immediate goals, according to president David Morgan.

The ICC Cricket Committee had, in their last meeting in London after the Twenty-20 World Cup, drawn up an action plan to boost interest in cricket's traditional format, which is facing a stiff challenge from the shorter formats of the game.

Reacting to the stir that a recent interview of him had caused in the media circles, Morgan told Gulf News from London that all he wanted to say was that reducing the duration of the Test matches was one of the possibilities being considered to bring more zest back into Test matches.

"The first of these changes most likely is going to be day-night Test matches, which could be played in more customer-friendly hours," Morgan said.

While refusing to put a deadline as to when the first of such Test matches could happen, Morgan said the Cricket Committee is now studying the various aspects of such a transition before a day-night Test match is trialled by the end of next year.

"Since Test cricket is being played in white clothing for 130 years now, it's difficult to switch it to coloured clothing. The option hence is to go for coloured balls and right now, the ICC and the MCC World Cricket Committee are working together to look at such technical aspects," he said.

Don't be then surprised if Test matches are played in future with balls of a brighter colour like orange rather than the "red cherry".

Asked if four-day Test matches, if ever they see the light of the day, would neutralise the chances of producing results, Morgan felt it's the quality of cricket that should get the priority.

"For example, the two recent Test series between Australia and South Africa produced some exciting contest because they were played on good pitches. What we need are pitches that provide an even balance between the bat and ball& but sometimes we have Tests on real featherbed wickets," said the ICC supremo.

While the need for sporting wickets need not be overemphasised in Test cricket, it was but one of the key issues that the ICC has decided to take up on war footing.

"Day-night cricket, pitches, slow over-rates and other time-wasting tactics - it was all in the mix that had come up for discussion during our last meeting," Morgan said.

Asked if they were really desperate measures to counter the growing popularity of T-20, Morgan said that he preferred to look at the format as an "opportunity and not as a threat" that the ICC wanted to optimise on.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman Peter Young said his Chief Executive James Sutherland was not keen on four-day Tests.

"James is more in favour of night Test cricket and we are in discussion on the colour of the ball and whether it would affect the dimensions of the ball," Young said.

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