Losing over 90 minutes of play due to bad light when there is a choice of floodlights available just shows how stringent rules in the sport can have a negative effect on its existence.
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Far away from the intensity and popularity of the ongoing 14th edition of the Indian Premier League, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have staged an underrated yet significant Test series that had waited for a while before materialising.
The COVID-19 outbreak in March last year induced a break on all sporting events, something that was never seen before or even foreseen. The IPL got postponed from its original date, Wimbledon got cancelled for the very first time and the Tokyo Olympics was pushed to 2021.
While the outbreak still remains as deadly, sport is coming back to life again. The 2020 edition of the IPL was eventually held in the UAE, not in India as scheduled, in the September-November window. But many bilateral series that were affected were indefinitely sidelined.
Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka, which was supposed to held in July-August, suffered several stages of postponement before it was finally confirmed for April 2021. On April 21, the first Test of the two-match series finally commenced with the visiting team producing a dominating performance against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh, who are without the services of Shakib Al Hasan, amassed 302/2 on day one powered by a 101-ball 90 from Tamim Iqbal and a maiden hundred by Najmul Hossain Shanto. Day two of the first Test at Pallekele suffered an abrupt end with Bangladesh on 474/4 with just 65 overs bowled.
The abrupt end was forced upon by ‘bad light’ which is a common occurrence in the sport, especially the format. Umpires, on the request from on-field batsmen Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, deemed the conditions not fit to play in. However, losing over 90 minutes of play due to bad light when there is a choice of floodlights available just shows how stringent rules in the sport can have a negative effect on its existence.
According to MCC’s Law 2.8.2, under ‘Suspension of play in dangerous or unreasonable circumstances’, states that “umpires shall immediately suspend play, or not allow play to start or to recommence, if either umpire considers that the conditions of ground, weather or light, or any other circumstances are either dangerous or unreasonable”.
Situations such as these show why cricket falls behind in terms of viewership and it is in, no way, fair to the fans of the sport. Cricket needs to be less stringent with its rules and be more concerned about its fans. Especially, the loyal Test cricket fanbase that proves that the power of the longest format transcends all.
Fans have not been allowed in the stands throughout the two-match series in Pallekele. But with most sporting events being held behind closed doors, there has been a surge in television and streaming viewerships. An occurrence of play stopping prematurely, with 25 overs significant overs of the final session left to be bowled, due to the orthodox rules in place, does not help the viewership at all.
Moreover, with Bangladesh on 474/4, Sri Lanka would’ve needed to put pressure on the visitors in the final hours of play. Further on, the fact that Bangladesh had to declare at 541/7 less than an hour before Lunch on Day 3, shows how the loss of overs without an actual ‘dangerous’ situation, can also affect the tactical proceedings of the game.
Contrastingly, as a complementary substitute, Test cricket needs its own modifications. The royalty of Test cricket, its legacy, is of prime importance. But to make it sustain among other smaller formats, some necessary changes need to be addressed. In the case of bad light, it is important for fans to understand why the play was denied despite the floodlights being available.
In a situation wherein floodlights are not the most viable option, it is important to be able to flow and adopt alternatives such as bowling with the pink ball when the red ball is not an option under the lights. With major teams having played Test cricket with the pink ball, it is now almost certain that the idea of Day/Night Tests not being declared as a separate format, its learning can be extrapolated and used to preserve Test cricket. After all, what’s cricket without the old sage.
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