Cricket's grand initiative and the successful day-night experiment

Cricket's grand experiment of playing Tests at night and with a pink ball is now complete. It was an overwhelming success in whichever way you look at it. Crowd records were broken at the Adelaide Oval. Television ratings were enormous, rivalling the type that is normally reserved for grand finals of Australia's various football codes. Players were purportedly satisfied with the conditions despite a thorough domination of ball over bat resulting in the match finishing within three days.

After two lacklustre opening Tests where pitches resembled freeways, the third Test was a riveting spectacle. The game was a whirlwind, a startling contrast to the laborious Tests that blighted the Australian cricket calendar in recent years.

It wasn't just the game itself that intoxicated. Playing under lights created some indelible images that will be forever etched in cricket's annals. Witnessing the cricket whites juxtaposing nightfall was a beautiful snapshot, so too was the pink ball complementing Adelaide's sunset. It helped create an ambience unlike we've ever seen. For the first time in a while, Test cricket felt relevant and the spectacle absolutely gripped mainstream Australia and indeed the cricket world.

With the first day-night match complete, officials and players now have a better understanding of what to expect in these conditions. One should expect the next day-night Test, and every indication points that it is here to stay in Australia; to be played on a more balanced pitch and a less frenzied game should ensue.

The stunning triumph of cricket's grand initiative poses a few questions. Is it here to stay? Will it be adopted elsewhere? Will this ensure Test cricket's survival?

Cricket Australia has indicated its intention of making day-night Tests part of its scheduling the next Australian summer. One day-night Test per series could be realistic. Seemingly, playing at night should be logistically possible in most other cricket nations except England because it does not get dark until after 9.30 pm there. But matches absolutely could start later there, ensuring matches are played at the optimal time of day, as England's nefarious weather is, for whatever reason, often best in the evening. It makes no sense for games to start early, have rain interruptions, and then be called off in the evening when the weather is belatedly at its best.

I frustratingly experienced exactly that mishmash of a day's play when I attended the Third Ashes Test at Edgbaston a few months back. There were about 20 overs lost during the opening day due to intermittent rain, yet the weather noticeably improved after 7 pm. It was typical of cricket's perception of being archaic. Simply, it reflects poorly on Test cricket and makes the format appear outdated in these evolving modern times.

Some traditionalists have bemoaned the changes to cricket's most beloved and treasured format but those criticisms appear to be merely white noise now. Test cricket may not quite be at the crossroads, but there is no denying it is hard to convince casual fans to attend an entire day let alone consecutively.

The shift in popularity amongst the formats are noticeable and very real; it is likely to become more apparent when generations of cricket supporters are weened on the alluring Twenty20 format. Of course, the hardcore cricket fan is likely to have a strong affinity for Test cricket, the sport's bloodline, and the format should be able to withstand sleeker attractions. But the International Cricket Council (ICC) needs to be active in making Test cricket inclusive, which its officials have often shown a disregard for as evidenced by the lack of intent to take the sport beyond traditional frontiers.

In that sense, day-night Test matches cater better for those who may not necessarily be classified in the "cricket tragic" category.

Certainly outside the subcontinent, cricket is a sport that has a healthy smattering of casual fans; fanatics tend to be more in the minority. In Australia, cricket has a special cultural connotation and thus the public places its national players, particularly Test cricketers, on a pedestal. But many aren't particularly invested in Tests and see no real reason to spend their hard-earned money on going to matches. Simply, initiatives are needed for Test cricket's renewal.

Four-day Tests have been mooted, and even received influential backing from Mark Taylor, the former Australian captain and now Cricket Australia director. It is an interesting proposal, which has inevitably attracted a fair amount of scorn from traditionalists. But these creative ideas need to be properly investigated and considered before being entirely dismissed.

For now, day-night matches seem to have found the right level of tinkering with Test cricket in a respectful manner. No doubt, the novelty factor will eventually wear off gradually, creating more challenges to overcome. The mere concept of playing sport for five days consecutively, all day, seems rather far-fetched in this increasingly hectic world. Test cricket needs to be preserved, but sacrifices will have to be made along the way. Still, that is an uncomfortable reality many traditionalists are finding hard to grapple with.