Former great Geoffrey Boycott has said it is a good idea and India must try it first. But Australian captain Ricky Ponting and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori have both reacted negatively to Cricket Australia’s proposal for day-and-night Test matches. As indeed have several former Indian stars. They say spotting the white ball, as it is a problem even in 50-over games, could be a major issue during the course of an entire evening. But, is the time right to revive what Kerry Packer tried 30 years ago?

“Cricket cannot turn up its lip at the prospect of night Test matches. To the contrary, it is exactly the sort of radical proposal the game needs. Movies, plays and concerts all take place long after the sun has set, and, inevitably, the same applies to most sporting events, including cricket,” writes Peter Roebuck.

Should Test matches be held under lights? Will it draw in crowds? Will it get television eyeballs? Will playing under lights introduce a fresh imponderable into Test match cricket, making it even more unpredictable and exciting? Should Tests be held over four days instead of five, as Boycott suggests? Or should Test match cricket which has been seeing more runs, more results in recent time be left untouched as Mike Coward writes?