Day-night Test matches are set to be the future of the longer format

The idea of day-night Test matches has been floating around for nearly a couple of years now, and recently the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that they would be giving member nations the green light to host day-night Tests.

The reason why the decision has taken this long is due to the fact that the ICC are unsure of what type of ball would be bested suited for the conditions of a day-night Test.

However, even though the ICC have given the green light for day-night Tests to take place, the final decision will be made by the cricket boards of the two nations playing against each other.

A statement released by the ICC said: “The home and visiting boards will decide on the hours of play which will be six hours of scheduled play per day while the two boards will also decide on the precise brand, type and colour of the ball to be used for the match.”

Test cricket has seen a significant drop in attendance recently since they occur on days most people have work, and the ICC believe that these numbers can vastly increase if matches start in the evening and run into the night.

In June, the ICC noted that no one had objected to the issue of day-night Test matches, and that the idea of using a coloured ball throughout the game had been flagged.

A report put together by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) showed the ICC what certain countries and spectators thought of the idea.

After conducting some market research as well, the ICC have realised that day-night Tests may be better suited to places like India, New Zealand and South Africa.