Shahid Afridi bats for day-night Test cricket

The idea of playing day-night test matches has received the backing of Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, who said the change was necessary to prevent the oldest form of the game from being rendered redundant.

“I definitely support this idea to have Test matches under lights because in this changing world it is necessary to make changes according to times,” Afridi said.

Afridi, who was appointed Pakistan’s Test and one-day captain recently, said that the five-day game was under threat from the tremendously famous T20 cricket.

“When you can have Twenty20 cricket and 50-overs cricket under lights, why not Test matches? I think it would increase the crowd participation and increase revenues and viewer-ship for Test matches,” The Daily Times quoted Afridi, as saying.

“It is the real test for cricketers but it is also a fact that nowadays people don’t have time to go to the grounds for five days during the day time. I support any move that is aimed at betterment in the sport,” the flamboyant all rounder added.

Commenting on the controversial use of pink balls in day-night Test matches, Afridi said such issues could be sorted out, but what was more important was that all the three formats of the game exist together.

“When they used white ball for the first time in one-day cricket, it took time before things fell into place,” he said.