Small tinkerings

This is a late reaction to IS Bindra's comments on the need to tinker with test cricket to make it more popular (prompted by this piece suggesting the use of floodlights in tests). I think Bindra's worry about scoring rates is misplaced. Scoring rates have improved a great deal in cricket. Scoring above three runs an over is almost the standard in tests now and many sides even manage 3.5 runs an over over a day - or 315 runs in a day's play. There are other things to worry about. Bindra should be worried about fall of wickets-rates (though the use of television for line decisions has certainly helped). Concern about pitches would be spot on target. Local administrators want surfaces that last all five days; hence the erring on the side of docility. Pitch improvement would go a long way toward ensuring a decrease in the number of turgid runfests. Then there are problems with water management that cause playing time to be lost; some grounds have excellent drainage and drying facilities and equipment, some have very rudimentary setups. The problem of how to ensure adequate light for the players still remains unsolved with no unanimity yet on how floodnights should be used (if at all). And lastly, grounds differ in their spectator comfort levels. If folks have to be spend a day somewhere, the least that could be done is to make their home for the day a little comfortable: covered stands, drinking water fountains, reasonably priced food and drink, accessible and usable public facilities and so on. As for a championship that is able to draw and hold fans' interest, that remains a tougher problem than any of these.