Barbados: David Morgan, outgoing president of the International Cricket Council (ICC), is convinced that it won’t be too long before day-night tests will commence in either Australia or India. The ICC will meet at Lord’s this week and Morgan will leave his post and be succeeded by India’s Sharad Pawar.

The advent of Twenty20 cricket has raised concerns about the future of the oldest format of the game, with the five-day game witnessing meagre crowds on most occasions. And while tests in England, or England, South Africa and India’s test tours to Australia are generally sold out, the rest of the countries are struggling in attracting spectators to the ground.

The prospect of day-night test matches has been on the horizon for quite some time now since it will give the people, who are at work during daytime, the chance to come to the grounds after work, but the concept has been held back by problems, with doubts about coloured balls lasting 80 overs in a day and the visibility of these balls under lights with white clothing.

Morgan, a former chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), however, feels that the transformation isn’t far away. “I talked to administrators in Australia whom I expected to be so conservative as to be against day/night Test cricket but they are very much for it and I believe it won’t be too long before we see day/night Test cricket in Australia or India,” he said.

One of the biggest complaints against the ICC has been that too many Tests, as well as one-dayers, lack “context”. Although the ICC has introduced a Test table, its complex rating system has so far failed to excite much interest.

Morgan, perhaps concerned about promising something leading countries — who organise series among themselves within minimum ICC guidelines — won’t let him deliver, has repeatedly refrained from using the word ‘championship’ or ‘league’ in connection with Tests and ODIs. But he said, “Our chief executives’ committee has been looking at producing a context for both ODI cricket and Test match cricket, so watch this space. Enriching ODIs and Tests are two major opportunities, and I have little or no doubt the game will embrace those fairly quickly.”

Morgan added the biggest regret of his term as president, which expires within weeks, was Pakistan becoming a no-go area for international cricket following the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore last year. “I feel sad for the people of Pakistan and for the cricketers in Pakistan,” he said.

“Pakistan has produced some of the most stylish cricketers in the last couple of decades — Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. It’s a country we need to continue to be producing fine cricketers, a bit like the Welsh (rugby union) ‘outside-half factory’,” the 72-year-old Welshman added. “When these things cease to flow, the game is a great deal poorer.”

Morgan though was buoyed by the upcoming Tests between Pakistan and Australia in England in July — the first neutral Tests since England staged the 1912 triangular tournament involving Australia and South Africa. “With those Test matches at Lord’s and Headingley, there will be huge interest and just the shop-window Pakistan needs.”

Reflecting on the World Twenty20, where England beat Australia by seven wickets in the final here on Sunday, he added, “I think this tournament has gone wonderfully well. A key to its success was that home fans were not priced out of matches, as happened at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies,” he explained.

“Accessibility for local people is important. It’s absolutely crazy to be pricing tickets in excess of a week’s wages for people and that was the sort of thing that was happening at the last World Cup,” he added.

Morgan, a former commercial director of Electrical Steel and an ex-chairman of Cardiff-based county side Glamorgan, said he would “not go back” to any of his previous roles within cricket or business.

Asked what he would do when no longer ICC president, a deadpan Morgan replied, “Maybe I’ll see if I can get a press pass.”

Related News Headlines

• No Related Post

Cricketain Latest

• Sachin, Dhoni, Sehwag in race for ICC awards
• No-ball row: Sangakkara takes full responsibility
• BCCI will not pursue no-ball matter with SLC
• BCCI denies compelling fatigued cricketers to play
• Bowlers in desperate need of a break: MS Dhoni
• Yuvraj out with dengue, Nehra uncertain for Sri Lanka ODI
• “Pakistan players should be allowed to play in IPL 4”
• ECB asks Pietersen to stay away from Lalit Modi
• Munaf Patel called up as cover for Ishant
• Final squads for CLT20 announced, Flintoff not in CSK squad