Mcc Opener Moves To Abu Dhabi
The MCC’s annual season curtain-raiser against the county champions will be played in Abu Dhabi under floodlights, and with a pink ball, from 29th March.
The four-day match with Durham at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is part of an MCC drive to generate new cricket fans.
MCC head of cricket John Stephenson said: ‘If this match is a success, it could help reinvigorate Test cricket.
‘We have an opportunity to play our part for the good of the game and we’re determined to grasp it.’
Lord’s has traditionally hosted the county opener between the MCC and the champions since 1902.
The MCC team is generally made up of younger players close to national selection, but the match has struggled to achieve huge support because of the weather and the flat pitches.
For the past three years, a handful of English counties have started to compete in pre-season warm-ups in Abu Dhabi and neighbouring grounds in the Emirates. And opting for the United Arab Emirates means an earlier start on the cricket calendar.
‘Ultimately, this match is being played in Abu Dhabi for two reasons,’ added the MCC’s Stephenson.
‘Firstly, we felt that the proposed fixture schedule for Lord’s (3-5 April) was far too early in the year to play meaningful cricket, with poor weather a very likely possibility.
‘Secondly, we’ve been asking cricket authorities around the world to help us trial the pink ball under floodlights.’
Pink-ball trials have continued since the winter of 2007-08 and the MCC is keen to use them under lights in the May 2010 Lord’s Test against Bangladesh, in what could be cricket’s first day-night Test.
Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board has approved a change in the points system for next season in a bid to encourage attacking play.
Sixteen points (up from 14) will be awarded for a win and just three for a draw (down from four) in 2010, while bonus points will only be available in the first 110 overs of each first innings, rather than 120 – and use of the heavy roller will be banned after a match commences.
