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After England's fielders suffer in the Auckland gloom, BBC Sport Online's Matthew Allen takes a look at the impact of floodlights on Test cricket.

The introduction of floodlights in Test cricket was intended to relieve the frustration of players and supporters.

After a two-year probationary period, the International Cricket Council made it mandatory in May 2001, at grounds where floodlights are available, to switch them on to enable play to continue where bad light would normally bring a halt.

Regulation 3.3 states: "If in the opinion of the umpires, natural light is deteriorating to an unfit level, they shall authorize the ground authorities to use the available artificial lighting so that the match can continue in acceptable conditions."

Graham Thorpe & Nasser Hussain
England won in the dark in Karachi
In the last 18 months, England have twice been involved in Tests when the state of the light has been an important factor.

Nasser Hussain's men benefitted from the umpires' decision to allow play to continue when they won the series against Pakistan in Karachi in December 2000.

Pakistan's fielders complained that they could not see the ball with the sun sinking below the horizon, but as only batsmen can be asked if they want to come off for bad light, they had to suffer.

The lack of floodlights at Karachi would seem to add fuel to the argument that they should be used wherever possible to make up for the lack of natural light.

But England found during the third Test against New Zealand in Auckland that artificial light throws up a different set of problems for the fielders.

Graham Thorpe complained that it was difficult to pick out the red ball from areas of the ground or the night sky not illuminated by the floodlights.

"It's something that's going to have to be looked at. Nasser (Hussain) told the umpires that the boys were struggling to see it and it was an unfair advantage," said Thorpe.

This problem is dealt with in one-day cricket by introducing a whirte ball and coloured clothing, but it would be clearly impractical to change the ball and clothing during a day's play in a Test match.

England's frustration was compounded by play being ended early during the drawn second Test in Wellington because the floodlights were considered insufficient for batting.

Former England captain Alec Stewart, who played in Karachi, called for floodlights to be introduced after that Test.

"If it was up to me I'd make it a rule now that if floodlights are at the ground they should be used, both for the benefit of the paying customers and for the players, whether they're batting or bowling.

"I think that's a law that will probably, or possibly, come in," he said.

But Stewart was also quick to criticise the lighting conditions during a one-day international between England and Zimbabwe at Edgbaston in July 2000.

"If you compare them to the lights on grounds in Australia and some in South Africa, then they are just not good enough. That's the standard we've got to try and reach," he said after the match.

Alec Stewart
Stewart has mixed feelings about floodlights
"The first time around there are always going to be teething problems. But next year let's get it right and improve the lights."

The ICC maintains that the introduction of floodlights during Test matches is beneficial for the game.

"The rule was put into force to try to get play to be played wherever possible, when under normal circumstances it would not be possible," an ICC spokesman told BBC Sport Online.

"It is down to the umpires to determine what constitutes 'acceptable conditions'.

"There is no bench mark concerning the standard of lighting. If you do that then you eliminate certain grounds from staging Test match cricket, and we are not in the business of doing that.

"The introduction of floodlights at Test matches was seen as a positive thing and probably allowed play to continue in this instance where no play would have been possible without floodlights."

"The regulations are always under review and playing conditions are looked at again after three years."


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