OTD In 1998 | The Oval staged the first competitive match to be played under floodlights in London

The game of cricket has been changing with time and has an incredible history already. The game of cricket has been played since the 19th century and we have seen some great changes in the game even today. It is safe to say that the game has evolved and we all have loved to see the major changes that have developed during the years which has changed the sport completely.

The biggest change in cricket came in the 20th century when Kerry Packer introduced us to white ball cricket where we also saw teams in colourful jerseys. Though this was still an iconic moment in the game, there were still some problems which the batters have been facing with the lights. This was a problem since there were some matches which also went on late in the night as well.

The introduction of Floodlights

To improve this decision the ICC chose to bring a change by getting floodlights in the ground that will improve the visibility of the players even when the match goes on late in the night. The first game under floodlights was played between Surrey and Sussex at the Oval in London. It was on this day of 3rd August 1998 when we finally saw the game played under floodlights. Though this was a one-sided game between the two it was still a great change which got a great response from the players.

This brought the fun in day/night matches and this was great to see that we are getting to see a new era in Cricket. This gave a different look to the game and we all as fans enjoyed it. There might have been some problems for players to adapt to the conditions, but in the end, we have to say that this was a great development in the game which has made this one of the most popular sports in the World.

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