ENGLAND are prepared to follow Australia’s example and consider playing Tests under floodlights in an attempt to reverse declining attendances for five-day cricket.

Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) who recently announced £9m was to be spent installing floodlights at every international and major county venue, said administrators around the world had to be mindful of what spectators wanted and they seemed to prefer watching games in the evening.

“It is clear that some other countries are going to have to think how they can get people to watch Test matches,” he said. “We know how many people are going to be in the New Zealand grounds for the Tests – the Barmy Army and virtually nobody else. It is very concerning and even in England, where Test cricket is still popular, matches are often not sellouts.

“We are supposed to be offering a leisure activity. The question is, do we want five anoraks watching, or 5,000 people who have come to be entertained? We can largely fill grounds in England at the moment but it wasn’t long ago that we were seriously worried about how many people were watching Tests. People like to watch in the evening.”

Cricket Australia wants to stage day-night Tests within three years. They believe that if play ran from 2pm until 9pm, rather than 11am until 6pm, spectator numbers and TV viewing figures would rise. The board’s thinking hardened after attendance figures remained poor even for the gripping series against India. Despite Australia chasing a world record 17th-straight win, the Test in Perth was still not a sellout.

The problem with day-night Test cricket is finding a ball that remains visible under artificial light while still behaving like the traditional red one. Cricket Australia has set up a working party to find a solution but it may be beaten to it by the MCC, which is to experiment with a pink fluorescent ball that may prove more durable than the white ball used in limited-overs matches.

John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, says it is too early to say whether manufacturers could develop a ball that could last the 80 overs needed for Test cricket, or indeed behave in the same way as a red one.

The ECB wants more floodlights around the country chiefly to educate players about playing day-night 20-over and 50-over matches, but Clarke says that if other countries are to stage flood-lit Tests then English players will have to learn about that as well.

“We’ve got to ensure our players are properly prepared,” he said. “If they are going to learn the basics, our players need to play more under lights. We should have an open mind. I feel it’s where we’re heading, so we need to be prepared for it.”

Last year’s county championship used floodlights to boost natural light for the first time.

Light Tests: pros and cons

- Attendances and TV viewing figures should rise with evening play and greater sponsorship may follow. Cricket Australia want Tests to run from 2pm until 9pm

- The red ball would have to be abandoned in favour of a colour more visible to players, spectators and TV cameras

- White balls deteriorate within 40 overs and Tests need balls to last 80 overs. Ball manufacturers are working on a pink ball that may last longer than 40 overs

- Play during twilight has always been challenging and may prove too infl uential during Tests. But it can be as diffi cult for fi elders as batsmen

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