England and Pakistan agree to flexible playing times that could lead to 10.30am start
Friday 21 August 2020 12:23, UK
England and Pakistan have agreed to revised playing conditions under which Test cricket could begin at 10.30am to make up for time lost to bad weather.
The steps were taken ahead of the third Test after over three days of the second Test was lost to rain and poor light.
The new flexible approach comes after discussions between the England and Wales Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council - including Match Referee Chris Broad - and various stakeholders including broadcast partners.
England captain Joe Root described the change in approach as "a sensible idea".
He said: "I felt for the umpires last week. I felt they did everything they could by the letter of the law to keep us out there when possible.
"I think this will enable us to play a little bit more cricket. With the environment we find ourselves in, it seems a really good way of maximising hours of play."
Sky Sports Cricket pundit and former England skipper Michael Atherton concurred, saying: "Common sense is not always commonly applied in cricket but, in this instance, it definitely is.
"There's nothing to stop anybody starting half an hour in advance. It's an entirely logical and sensible move."
Revised Playing Times Due to Bad Weather
After the conclusion of play on day one, the ICC Match Referee, Groundstaff and the ECB Match Manager will meet to discuss the playing conditions for the next day.
If the forecast looks good in the morning, it will be an option to commence play at 10.30am and that final decision will be made by the ICC Match Referee, Chris Broad.
The Match Referee will confirm the revised playing times, with the most likely scenario of amending to:
- 10.30am start with 98 overs to be bowled in the day
- 6.00pm scheduled close of play
- 6.30pm extra 30 mins to bowl overs
- 7.00pm cut off for extra time for bad weather during the day
The morning session would last two-and-half hours if the start time was adjusted.
There are no amendments to the bad light protocols, however the match officials are to ensure that light is monitored to maximise playing time while it is still safe to do so and the safety of the players is still the number one priority for this protocol.
In the wake of the disruption to the second Test, a number of ideas have been put forward for discussion in an attempt to ensure more play is possible; they include brightening the colour of the Dukes ball, improving floodlights and even prescribing the use of light-enhancing glasses.
Root reflected: "I think they should trial as much of it as possible but I think you want to look after the fundamentals of Test cricket the best you can.
"If you could improve the minimum standard of the floodlights that might be a major factor in helping things and maybe using a slightly lighter red ball might also help.
"I'm sure there will be people looking at the best ways possible and there will be trial games to see if there are serious possibilities."
According to the ECB, further consideration will be given to applying these changes further at future series played in England.
