West Indies to play day-night Test in Edgbaston
Edgbaston will host the first day-night Test ever staged in the United Kingdom when England face West Indies in Birmingham in August next year.
England are now in line to become the third nation to stage a five-day Test under floodlights, following Australia’s day-night match against New Zealand in Adelaide last year and with Pakistan due to play West Indies in a day-night Test in the United Arab Emirates next week.
Test matches in England, unlike many countries, are generally well supported and there are concerns the English climate may not be conducive to spectators sitting out to watch for several hours late in the day. Given that the English cricket season also coincides with the UK’s longest daylight hours, questions have also been raised about whether there’s much to be gained from having a floodlit Test in the country.
But Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement issued on Thursday (October 6), said: “We’re excited by the prospect of staging our first ever day-night Test match. It’s a great opportunity to attract more fans to the game and see how staging Test cricket in the afternoon and evening fits with working patterns and modern lifestyles, whilst maintaining the deep tradition of Test match cricket.