Windies hope night time is right time to win back fans

West Indies join the day-night Test match revolution tomorrow, hoping the innovation will win back legions of fans who have turned their backs on the under-performing Caribbean side.

The third Test of the series against Sri Lanka at Kensington Oval in Barbados will be the 10th day-night affair since it debuted in 2015 when Australia hosted New Zealand in Adelaide.

Since that time, three more day-night Tests have been staged in Australia, two in Dubai, in an effort to entice expatriate workers to watch Pakistan, and one each in England, South Africa and New Zealand.

West Indies lead the series against Sri Lanka 1-0 but the first two matches in Trinidad and St Lucia were very poorly attended.

For several prominent former West Indies cricketers, the uniqueness of the day-night encounter presents an additional attraction to fans who have generally been turned off the regional team, especially in the traditional format of the competition, because of their consistently sub-standard performances in recent years.

"I am sure that it will be viewed as a novelty by some, and that's okay," said Jeff Dujon, wicketkeeper-batsman in the era of incomparable West Indian dominance of the international game in the 1980s.

"Let us not forget that West Indies cricket was built by the support of the people of the West Indies. I hope we use this occasion to recommit to supporting our team and providing that 12th man that was so present and meant so much in my days as a West Indies cricketer."
"On its own, day-night cricket may not be the panacea for all the challenges facing Test cricket, as fans also need to see success on the field of play. But I believe this day-night Test is a significant and worthwhile initiative to find out what works, what doesn't, and what needs tweaking."
- 'Taken so long' -
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"While I don't expect the concept to bring overnight success, I hope that the authorities will persist and make the necessary adjustments over time to make it better for spectators."