"If this was a T20 they’d be playing" - Michael Vaughan lashes out at bad light marring play on Day 1 of ENG vs SL 2024 3rd Test
Former England captain Michael Vaughan lashed out at play being halted multiple times due to bad light on Day 1 of the third Test against Sri Lanka at the Oval on Friday, September 6. After the first 15 overs were bowled, bad light stopped the action until lunch was called, with England on 76/1.
Despite play seemingly happening without any issues, the light suddenly dipped just four overs into the final session. After assessing the light with the light meter, the umpires decided to call off play, much to the disgust of the booing crowd.
Speaking on BBC's Test Match Special, Vaughan fumed at the match officials and felt a pink ball must be used in the event of bad light.
"It’s about the public who pay to watch. Test cricket is under threat more than any format. If this was a T20 they’d be playing. I’d try anything to find a way for the paying public to get better value," he said.
"What delivery have we seen in the last 15 minutes that has been a physical threat? You go to a pink ball and carry on. Teams will have to accept they get unlucky. All these ideas, you’re not going to appease everyone. I just want to see them carry on," Vaughan continued.
Only 44.1 overs were bowled on the opening day due to the bad light fiasco with England motoring along on 221/3.
Skipper Ollie Pope was the star with the bat as he rediscovered his form with a sparkling 103* at a run-a-ball.
"When full floodlights are on, how hard is it to see the ball?" - Rob Key
England team managing director Rob Key felt a proper investment must be made in how dangerous it is when the floodlights are fully in operation.
With Test cricket dwindling as a product, frequent interruptions and stoppages due to rain and bad light have further hurt the longest format's survival.
Key told BBC's Test Match Special during the first stoppage on Day 1:
"The way they were going about (it), playing very well it didn’t look like it was dark. What you need is to have a proper look and some proper investment into what is dangerous. When full floodlights are on, how hard is it to see the ball? I don’t think we have ever done a study on that. It is frustrating."
England are looking to sweep their home Tests with a sixth consecutive win after defeating the West Indies 3-0 and winning the first two Tests of the ongoing Sri Lanka series.