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+--- Thread: Ponting voices opposition to day-night Tests (/thread-27594.html)
Ponting voices opposition to day-night Tests - chairman - 10-22-2015
RICKY Ponting has spoken out strongly against the looming day-night Test match, to be played in Adelaide between Australia and New Zealand, reckoning that the experimental format and pink ball will have to stand up to the scrutiny of the players involved if it is ever to have the credibility of the existing five-day game. On the night he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in Melbourne, Ponting said the Cricket Australia-driven concept was something he had always opposed. This was largely due to his belief that Test match cricket should be kept as the purest possible contest between bat and ball, while the game’s two other formats served as greater vehicles for entertainment and night-time events.
“I’ve actually been against it the whole time,†Ponting said. “I mean I understand the reasons behind wanting to innovate and wanting to be different, but at the same time I think Test cricket is all about history and tradition as far as I’m concerned.
“But I guess the game has to go on and move forward. It will be interesting to see what the players make of it all and how much they enjoy the occasion. That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. The players have to want to enjoy it and have to want to be a part of it and want to make it something extra special and let’s hope it works out that way.â€
Earlier this week, Ponting gave evidence via video link in the perjury trial of Chris Cairns. While unwilling to comment any further on the trial, he said Australia had been a leader in educating players about the murky world of spot-fixing and that he was eager to ensure the game continued to be closely monitored for any evidence of impropriety.
“The way the game is it maybe does open itself up to more of that kind of thing because there is so much spot-betting and so many things that you can bet on,†Ponting said. “Don’t worry, everyone is doing their absolute utmost to keep on top of that stuff, but as we know at the end of the day it’s the players, it comes down to the players.
“I know that everything that’s been done within Cricket Australia has been absolutely first-class. We’d be leading the world in so far as that sort of education is concerned so all we can do is to make sure that we keep doing the right thing and make sure we keep our players out of it all.â€
As for the summer ahead, Ponting predicted that captain Steven Smith would drop down to No.4 in the batting order, with Usman Khawaja at No.3 and the young West Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft slotting in alongside David Warner at the top of the order.
He spoke with some pride at his induction into the Hall of Fame, which also features the likes of fellow Tasmanian David Boon, Richie Benaud and Dennis Lillee.
“Something like this, once you are retired, gives you a chance to sit back and think about all the things you were able to do and wins you were able to have and things like that,†he said.
“Even just coming here and sitting at the stands now and thinking about some of the great things that happened out there (all this) is nice. And I’ve done a little, I wouldn’t say research, but I’ve read up on the Sports Australia Hall of Fame and the history behind it and it’s a pretty select group of people or members that I’ve been inducted into.†(ESPN Cricinfo)
Re: Ponting voices opposition to day-night Tests - Rowe992 - 10-23-2015
Well at least the day night matches will mean that I could get to watch cricket in the day time rather than at 11pm to early morning.
Re: Ponting voices opposition to day-night Tests - timmyj51 - 10-23-2015
Pinky...moonbeam...won't make any difference. :
: Timmyj Plan (200 total overs, per side, per match) only hope for Jurassic. ::dead::
Re: Ponting voices opposition to day-night Tests - Rowe992 - 10-25-2015
Ponting could advocate for test cricket to be played only between England and Australia where the fans don't seem to mind the boredom and long play. 8)
Re: Ponting voices opposition to day-night Tests - dillinger10 - 10-25-2015
[quote author=Rowe992 link=topic=100845.msg660520#msg660520 date=1445744845]
Ponting could advocate for test cricket to be played only between England and Australia where the fans don't seem to mind the boredom and long play. 8)
[/quote]
If you hate Test cricket so much, why do you feel the need to comment on every Test match thread?
Re: Ponting voices opposition to day-night Tests - dillinger10 - 10-28-2015
Count John Hastings as another current cricketer not in favour of day/night Test matches. I am not sure it can be any worse than playing Test matches in the UAE.
Quote:Australia fast bowler John Hastings is the latest to hedge his bets when it comes to the pink ball. It was in use in Victoria's opening match of the Sheffield Shield season against Queensland at the MCG and Hastings mentioned at the end of the first day's play that the pink ball lost its hardness rather quickly, and also pointed out that it doesn't swing after approximately 15 overs leading to "a boring brand of cricket."
As a workaround, Hastings suggested changing it after 50 overs of use rather than 80 overs as is custom with the red ball. "It's certainly better than the first few pink-ball games that we've played but I think there's a fair bit of work to do," he said. "The main issue for me is the hardness of the ball. It just doesn't stack up to the red ball. Maybe if we change the ball at around 50-55 overs and get a new one or a semi-new one, it might be a better contest towards the end.
"We've bowled about 15-16 overs with it and it stopped swinging," he said. "It's just a matter of the ball doesn't move off the straight. It's tough work. All you've got to do is set straight fields and it's quite a boring brand of cricket when do have that pink ball."
If conventional swing was restricted, Hastings felt reverse swing with the pink ball was underwhelming. "It did actually go a little bit there at times. It wasn't consistent. But the main thing is that when you get a red ball to go reverse, it's actually quite hard and it can zip off the wicket. But with the pink ball we didn't really get the zip off the wicket."
http://www.espncricinfo.com/sheffield-shield-2015-16/content/story/934605.html