Pakistan backs ICC green signal to day-night Tests

Lahore:  The Pakistan Cricket Board has welcomed the ICC's go ahead to day-night Test matches, calling it a "breakthrough" decision that would add value to the game.

The executive coordination committee of the PCB which met yesterday to review and discuss the ICC decision, said it would allow member countries to increase the value of Test matches as a product.

"The committee has welcomed the decision and noted that cricket at the moment is going through an evolution phase," a spokesman for the board said.

"The committee sees the decision to allow member countries to have day and night Test matches as a breakthrough," he added.

The committee noted that Pakistan was the first full member country to have a day-night first-class match with coloured cricket balls.

"The PCB, not once, but twice experimented with having the final of the premier first class tournament under lights with coloured balls and on both occasions the response of the people and broadcasters was positive," spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said.

He said the PCB committee also felt that day-night Tests would allow people to come and watch quality cricket in their spare time.

"The committee sees this as a value decision of the ICC," Sarwar said.

Reliable sources in the board told PTI that in the next few days the PCB chief might have talks with his South African counterpart on the possibility of a day-night Test match being played between the two countries from early next year.

"Pakistan and South Africa are both strong supporters of day and night tests so this could be a strong possibility if the South Africans respond positively," one source said.