Miandad open for day-night Test matches

Karachi, Jan 17 (PTI) After the successful organisationof the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final under lights, former Pakistancaptain Javed Miandad has given a thumbs up to the concept ofday-and-night Test matches with a coloured ball.

Miandad, who is also the director-general of cricket inPCB, said that the experiment of having a day-night firstclass match with the orange coloured ball have turned out tobe huge success.

"The biggest thing is that the match lasted for fivedays and we didn''t see anything unusual in the behaviour ofthepitch or the way the ball behaved," he told reporters afterthe final day of the five-day match today.

Miandad said Pakistan would now definitely organise morefirst class games under lights in its domestic season.

"But I think the International Cricket Council can alsonow think about having Test matches under lights and with acoloured ball," he said.

"We will send our report to the ICC and their generalmanager of cricket, Dave Richardson also witnessed the matchon the first two days himself. But now it is entirely upto theICC how they take this experiment forward.

"But personally I think test cricket is possible inthis new format," he added.

In the summit clash, Habib bank defeated PIA by fivewickets to clinch the trophy.

Miandad said the PCB would now look at the reports of thematch officials and the two captains on how the experimentworked but it was a good sign that no team had complainedabout anything.

"I think sooner or later we have to think about makingTest cricket more attractive for spectators and viewers andthis final has shown that it can be possible to have five daygames under lights and with coloured balls," he insisted.

He pointed out that Pakistan have always been in theforefront of promoting new concepts to the game''s governingbody.

"It was the PCB that first suggested to the ICC to usemore technology in assisting the umpires," Miandad claimed.