ADELAIDE, Australia, Dec 7, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Australia’s cricket chief
Friday urged India to reconsider its opposition to day-night Tests with crowd
numbers hurt by their refusal to play under lights in Adelaide.
Cricket Australia had originally pencilled in the ongoing opening Test of
the current series as a pink-ball match, but India baulked at the idea.
The Indians, who are the world’s top-ranked team, have yet to play a day-
night Test and they did not want to risk their first one during such a high-
profile series.
In day-night Tests over the past three years, Adelaide’s opening-day crowds
numbered around 47,000, 32,000 and 55,000.
But on Thursday only 24,000 passed through the turnstiles, which new CA
chief executive Kevin Roberts blamed on fewer interstate visitors who would
have come for the night-time spectacle.
“We think we would’ve had 15,000 or so interstate visitors if it was a day-
night Test so there’s no doubting we’ve lost that group of fans,” he told SEN
radio.
Asked if the poor crowd had convinced him that the Adelaide Test should be
day-night, Roberts replied: “Absolutely”.
“It matters what the fans think and they’ve voted with their feet. Those
numbers (in previous years) are incredible so we’re really excited about
getting back to that in the future.”
Roberts said he hoped to convince India of the merits of a day-night
Adelaide Test on their next tour of Australia in 2020/21.
“Let’s hope so. Part of that fabric of cricket both nationally and
internationally is so rich so we embrace the fact that they’ve had a
different view about this Test match,” he said.
“We hope that the sentiment from fans is something India can see.”
According to Roberts, India is the only national team still holding out on
day-night Tests, which CA believes is one of the key ways to retain interest
in the five-day version of the game following the rise of the quickfire
Twenty20 format.
Australia have played four day-night Tests since 2015, three of them in
Adelaide, winning them all. They play Sri Lanka under lights in Brisbane in
January.