Mumbai: The Technical Committee of the Cricket Board, headed by Sourav Ganguly, on Friday recommended usage of floodlights during Test matches played in India.
The Committee, which met here, suggested “floodlights will be used during Test matches, if required, wherever the facility exists,” said Board secretary and meeting convener Sanjay Jagdale.
Floodlights had been used in the past in Test matches played in India whenever needed, but later the practise was discontinued.
The committee’s suggestion now has to be ratified by the all-powerful Working Committee of the Board when it meets next.
Friday’s Technical Committee meeting was attended by Ganguly, Krish Srikkanth (in his capacity as chairman of the Board’s senior selection panel), Roger Binny (as a former Test cricketer), the five zonal representatives (Venkatapathy Raju, Shantanu Sugwekar, Arup Bhattacharjee, Chetan Chauhan, Rahul Sapru), Jagdale, BCCI CAO Prof. Ratnakar Shetty and BCCI’s manager of cricket operations Suru Nayak.
Committee against neutral Ranji venues
The Cricket Board’s Technical Committee is not in favour of hosting Ranji Trophy games in neutral venues and wants the existing ‘home and away’ format to continue for the next season.
“The recommendations have not been that. At the end of the day the BCCI decides but I feel the home and away system should persist,” said Ganguly.
Significantly, the Board’s Working Committee had decided to play Ranji games in neutral venues at its meeting in Chennai earlier this week and Friday’s recommendation by the Technical Committee meant the ball has been thrown back to the WC’s court.
The Technical Committee has recommended to make Ranji Trophy quarterfinals and semifinals five-day games (at present only the final is played over five days) and wants a partial reversal of the schedule of domestic tournaments with Duleep Trophy to be followed by the Ranji Trophy. (PTI)