The day-night Test match idea is new to the shores of Jamaica and it will be played at Sabina Park in Kingston this July. The West Indies are set to host Australia in the pink-ball fixture.
“I hope it goes off well,” Michael Holding, Jamaica’s son of the soil, told Cricbuzz on Saturday.
Multiple cricket authorities in the West Indies have confirmed the news to this website. Sabina Park is being upgraded with installation of extra lights that will fit the requirements of a pink-ball Test. “The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) is best authorised to comment on this but I can confirm that a day/night match will be played in the summer,” Daley Redcliffe, the head of Kingston Cricket Club (KCC), said.
“This Test match is significant and historic for the Jamaica Cricket Association and Jamaica. The Government of Jamaica, in partnership with the JCA/CWI (Cricket West Indies) has invested significant sums of money to upgrade the lights to meet all the International requirements. This coupled with a newly installed electronic scoreboard before said Test Match. At this time we are comfortable with the preparations and looking forward to hosting a successful Test match,” Courtney Francis, the CEO JCA, told this website.
The Sabina Park is jointly owned by Sabina Park Holdings, JCA and KCC and all the bodies, mainly the latter two, are working towards the Test. The parties have got assurances from the island’s sports minister who recently assured them funding for the project.
“We are going to advance the funds through the Sports Development Foundation. I’ve had discussions with the Minister of Finance who will reimburse those funds. However, I don’t know if you’re aware of the issues regarding Sabina Park Holdings and the Kingston Cricket Club and the JCA where there is no proper entity functioning now with whom we would sign an agreement,” Jamaica’s Minister of Sport Olivia Grange was quoted by Sportsmax website. The historic ground has lights but it requires upgrading to host the day/nighter.
This will be the second pink-ball Test in the Caribbean islands, the first being in 2018 when West Indies played Sri Lanka at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Sri Lanka had won the match by four wickets.
The concept of day-night has not exactly taken off with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) avoiding having it in its year calendar. The BCCI thinks the pink-ball Test does not last too long.
Since it was first played in 2015 between Australia and New Zealand, 23 matches have been played with Australia hosting 13 and India staging it thrice. New Zealand and UAE (by Pakistan) have hosted it twice with one match each held in England, South Africa and the West Indies.© Cricbuzz
