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London - Australia great Steve Waugh has endorsed a proposal from Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) world cricket committee for the immediate introduction of day/night Test cricket.
"I think it will be great," former Australia captain Waugh, a committee member, told a news conference at Lord's on Friday.
"There is always going to be resistance to change, because it takes people out of their comfort zone," he said.
"But I think as a player I would love it, embrace it - a day/night Test match, and the chance to be part of history."
While crowds for the five-day game have held up well in England, in countries such as India attendances for Test matches have been in decline for several years.
One long-proposed solution is day/night Test cricket where spectators can attend once the working day is finished, with one-day internationals under lights having proved popular with crowds all round the world since they were pioneered in Australia some 30 years ago.
"Test cricket needs these things to get people back watching it," insisted Waugh who, along with his MCC colleagues, clearly believes there is no need for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to insist on the further research the global governing body has said is needed before giving the go-ahead.
An argument against day/night Tests has been that, with a standard red ball too difficult to see under the floodlights, the white ball now used in all one-day internationals would not stand up to the rigours of a five-day game.
But MCC assistant secretary John Stephenson insisted the successful trial of day-night four-day cricket with a pink ball in this year's English season curtain-raiser champion county fixture in Abu Dhabi, had solved that problem.
"We should not delay in presenting day-night Test cricket as an option for those Test-playing countries that are struggling to attract an audience," Stephenson said.
"We say this form of the game is viable now," the former England batsman added. "We proved it in Abu Dhabi with the four-day game under lights. It was the perfect experiment, and demonstrated this game should go ahead now.
"We don't need another 18 months of research. The world of cricket is ready. It should not wait; the time is now."
"I think it will be great," former Australia captain Waugh, a committee member, told a news conference at Lord's on Friday.
"There is always going to be resistance to change, because it takes people out of their comfort zone," he said.
"But I think as a player I would love it, embrace it - a day/night Test match, and the chance to be part of history."
While crowds for the five-day game have held up well in England, in countries such as India attendances for Test matches have been in decline for several years.
One long-proposed solution is day/night Test cricket where spectators can attend once the working day is finished, with one-day internationals under lights having proved popular with crowds all round the world since they were pioneered in Australia some 30 years ago.
"Test cricket needs these things to get people back watching it," insisted Waugh who, along with his MCC colleagues, clearly believes there is no need for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to insist on the further research the global governing body has said is needed before giving the go-ahead.
An argument against day/night Tests has been that, with a standard red ball too difficult to see under the floodlights, the white ball now used in all one-day internationals would not stand up to the rigours of a five-day game.
But MCC assistant secretary John Stephenson insisted the successful trial of day-night four-day cricket with a pink ball in this year's English season curtain-raiser champion county fixture in Abu Dhabi, had solved that problem.
"We should not delay in presenting day-night Test cricket as an option for those Test-playing countries that are struggling to attract an audience," Stephenson said.
"We say this form of the game is viable now," the former England batsman added. "We proved it in Abu Dhabi with the four-day game under lights. It was the perfect experiment, and demonstrated this game should go ahead now.
"We don't need another 18 months of research. The world of cricket is ready. It should not wait; the time is now."
