The second-ever pink-ball Test in women’s cricket was played last week between Australia and India at the Carrara Oval in Queensland. The match did not see a complete four days of cricket being played as rain played spoilsport. The match ended in a draw as over 90 overs were lost due to rain.
Would there have been a result if the women’s Test was also a five-day affair?
There have been many discussions doing the rounds with respect to the duration of the Women’s Test. While Australia head coach Matthew Mott and England captain Heather Knight suggested the need for making women’s Test matches a five-day affair, former India captains Diana Edulji and Shantha Rangaswamy are among the ones who prefer the status quo. Edulji and Rangaswamy have rather emphasized on resuming red-ball cricket in the domestic circuit.
Mott said, “It’s five days for me. In the last couple of Tests we’ve lost a full day, so you are essentially playing a three-day game on a surface that doesn’t have any wear and tear so it is difficult. Had this game gone another day, I think we’d have seen a very good Test. A little more time in the game would certainly help everyone. If you are going to devote that time, I don’t think it’s a lot to ask for one extra day.”
Skipper Meg Lanning has her say on the #PinkBallTest that ended in a DRAW.#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/YLKnQl4MqV
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 3, 2021
Edulji, on the other hand, said, “The four-day format is fine for now. We played three-day games back in the day. As it is, there are only three countries (India, Australia, England) that are playing Tests in women’s cricket at the moment and India just started playing again. If it wasn’t for the rain in Gold Coast, there would have been a result in this game also. Anyway, you are allowed 100 overs in a day which makes 400 overs for the game, only 50 less than the men’s game.”
Former India Cricketer Diana Edulji told PTI that she would prefer ‘four-day’ Tests but want BCCI to restart red-ball cricket at the domestic level. #PinkBallTest #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/CqgtwyHXwT
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 5, 2021
Siding with Edulji, Rangaswamy said, “Results should come in four days only. It is more than enough. There was too much time lost to the weather in this game. Instead, focus should be on more countries playing the longer format. BCCI and Jay Shah must be congratulated here for resuming Tests for women and it is likely to be a regular feature in our series with England and Australia going forward.”
She added, “Whenever a Test happens in India, I would want it to be in a smaller centre which can draw more crowds. Also, it would be ideal if red-ball cricket is restarted for the players to get used to the multi-day format.”
The T20I series between India and Australia starts 7th October 2021.
Source: PTI
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