One over to go, yeah lets call it a night guys...

England are currently playing Sri Lanka in the second test of the summer at Lords, after what was a surprisingly dramatic climax to an otherwise dull test in Cardiff last weekend.  Because of studying (and work) I haven't been able to watch as much as I'd have liked (I'd be at every day of every test if money and time were not an issue) and today I only caught the last 3 overs.  I am writing this blog because I only saw 3 overs.  I feel a little cheated as I should have seen 4!  


Now anyone reading this I expect is thinking 'big deal' last few overs in a days cricket hardly anything happens anyway.  However this isn't the point.  The ICC recently changed the regulations regarding bad light so they (regulation 3.5.3 (B)) now read:

If at any time the umpires together agree that the conditions
of ground, weather or light are so bad that there is obvious
and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire, so
that it would be unreasonable or dangerous for play to take
place, then they shall immediately suspend play, or not allow
play to commence or to restart. The decision as to whether
conditions are so bad as to warrant such action is one for the
umpires alone to make.

 The particular emphasis is on danger.  The umpires have been encouraged to allow as much play as possible - after all it is entertainment.  However in this circumstance, all of the floodlights were on (great move to allow this to help to encourage play) and there was just one over left in the day.  With the greatest respect to the Sri Lankan bowling attack one word I would not use to describe them is dangerous.  None appear to get close to the likes of Brett Lee, Shoib Aktaar and the likes for pace or anywhere near the amount of bounce some of the England seamers can get.  Enough play is lost due to the weather, it is great to see players staying on under floodlights but that one decision made no sense to me.  


At the end of the day these are batsmen at the top of their proffession, when playing in under 17 cricket we played all of our games in the evening, often finishing around 10pm.  When you were as bad as me (I would bat at 10 - which said more about the guy at 11 than it did my ability) I can tell you facing someone who can bowl at 80mph is not your dream scenario, however I don't think I once found it dangerous.