Only 134.3 overs of play was possible throughout the drawn second England-Pakistan Test match in Southampton, with torrential rain and bad light making spectators deprived of live cricket due to COVID-19 pandemic bore excruciating pain of irregular breaks.
While rain is an uncontrollable, the bad light is something a way could be found around, especially with the advancement in floodlights and the usage of pink balls for pre-designed Day-Night Test matches.
Read Also: England should return the favor by touring Pakistan in 2022, says Wasim Akram
Very well aware of the need to tackle visibility as an issue in Test matches played during the day hours and get more play in, the International Cricket Council (ICC) could now revisit the rules and regulations in place regarding the bad light, confirmed a source within the governing body to Reuters.
"We at the ICC are open to such ideas and the ICC Cricket Committee may discuss the issue in their next meeting," the source said on Monday (August 17).
Light metre reading is used by the two on-field umpires currently to determine whether the conditions are "dangerous or unreasonable" to continue playing in.
The ICC in 2013 proposed the use of floodlights while the natural one fades out during Test matches. However, this proposal was rejected by the member boards.
No date has been set for the next ICC Cricket Committee meeting, whose possible recommendation to open light towers for periods of bad visibility will require approval from the ICC board.
In the meantime, the cricket community has been flooded with suggestions to overcome the problem.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said the use of pink ball could be standardised to avoid losing overs.
"The more I watch this, particularly in England, the pink ball could be the solution - just play with it all the time," Vaughan told BBC's 'Test Match Special'.
His idea was backed by Australia spin legend Shane Warne on Sky Sports.
"If we lower that light meter reading and use a pink ball for Test matches, I think we’ll stay out there a lot longer," he said.
According to the existing playing conditions, a pink ball can be used in a bilateral series in mutual agreement of the two teams.
