So the 1st day/night Test match staged at Edgbaston, UK has finished with a resounding win in 3 days for England. But, was the easy win down to England being so superior? Did the conditions have that much affect? What was the response from the paying public and were Sky viewing figures different from other matches staged at this time of day? West Indies cricket has for many years, been going through a transitional period. I wonder if they can ever return to be the great cricketing nation that once harboured the world's best fast bowlers and the most flamboyant batsmen to grace the game. The emphasis on T20 cricket and the huge sums of money commanded by the best players have ensured West Indies cricket cannot retain their best players, as funds do not allow. For years the WICB have been in dispute with it's players over the right level of pay they deserve. Unfortunately the players say they are worth more than the board and so seek employment elsewhere. However, losing 19 wickets on day 3 to lose the test surely flattered England. The Dukes pink behaved well and retained it's colour for longer than we imagined. It did not go soft, which was a major concern prior to the match so, we can see this ball being developed further for use in future test matches. Kookaburra need to ensure the ball used in this winters Ashes day/night test match, preforms just as well or there will be further calls in Australia to switch tot he Dukes balls. Even though the Edgbaston test match lasted only 3 days, the commercial aspirations were apparently met. With tickets sales ahead of target, food and drink sales beating forecasts and sales of merchandising were strong too. A large number of tickets sold were to 1st time test match audiences, so that must be a positive. Hopefully the one side nature of the game doesn't stop them from returning. As a spectacle on television, it didn't have the same impact, in our opinion. Test match cricket is the best form of the game but you need to watch the whole days play to get the best out of it. Whereas T20, commonly shown on under lights on tv, is a faster paced game more suited to short span evening entertainment. Sales of beer and food prior to the game were strong both outside the ground and inside. Reports the local economy benefited by as much as £15,000,000, though hotel bookings and restaurants, are also hard to dismiss. Traditional test match starting times do not encourage a beer and food to be taken prior to the start of the game. The later start mean't fans turned up at lunch time and enjoyed a pie and pink prior to the game and then many kept drinking throughout the day. The noise in the final session was surely mainly due to the amount of alcohol consumed rather than the excitement on the field. The ECB have launched an extensive report on all aspects of the test match and will probably look to repeat annually, how willing India, Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be to agree will be paramount to it's success, given they are hours ahead of the UK, the tv scheduling will not break box office records on their local tv stations. I for one, encourage new ideas in all sport but, day/night test cricket is not for me. Having said that i did watch on Sky and refrained from switching channels even though Adam Lyth was smashing a far more exciting 161 for Yorkshire in the T20. If you are looking for a pink cricket ball The Dukes pink Club cricket ball is a great one to use in club cricket.
