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ICC CEO blames Test captains for bad light fiasco in the Pakistan-England match

Umpires called off the match citing fading light as England were denied a famous victory in Abu Dhabi

ICC CEO Dave Richardson has revealed that all Test captains had unanimously rejected the proposal of completing all Test matches till the very last delivery in the event of deteriorating light, ESPNCricinfo reports. 

The former South African wicket-keeper was speaking about the circumstances surrounding the perennial issue concerning bad light curtailing thrilling contests in the wake of the controversies regarding the first Test between Pakistan and England which was called off with the visitors 25 runs away from a famous victory.  

He divulged that the ICC had offered a proposition to the skippers of all Test playing nations during a meeting which was conducted in the aftermath of a halted Ashes encounter in 2013 wherein England were once again at the wrong end of declining light.  

The match in question was the final Test between Australia and England at The Oval in the 2013 Ashes series. Requiring only 21 runs to win the match, the umpires ended play as they had felt that the light was waning. Even though England had won the series already, the disappointment of failing to complete a Test victory was evident on the faces of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen.

Following the repeat of a similar situation in the opening match of the Test series between Pakistan and England in Abu Dhabi, neither captain Cook nor coach Trevor Bayliss had openly criticized the decision of the on-field umpires to take the players off. However, Cook refuted the theory that players could be in danger as the flood-lights were switched on.

Richardson however put the blame on the Test playing nations for not agreeing to the proposal made by the ICC in 2013.

"We have attempted in the past to say to the players that if we have floodlights and they are good enough to use for Test cricket that we should just bite the bullet and even if conditions are not as good as they might be, that we should play, finish the day or finish the match. However, that approach was not accepted by any of the teams as they felt it could lead to unjust finishes," he said. 

At a time when Test cricket is struggling to retain its rightful position as the premier format of the sport, it is highly imperative that the administrators come up with an ideal solution to prevent the repeat of Abu Dhabi or The Oval in future matches.

Earlier, Richardson had also spoken about the possible use of differently coloured balls during various situations as a Test match progresses. But, he confirmed that the idea is still under deliberation among the numerous stakeholders of cricket. 

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