What time is close of play in 2nd Ashes Test? When umpires can call time on Australia vs England day’s play

Joe Root and Pat Cummins take part in the first day/night Test of the Ashes 2021/22 series on Thursday 16 December 2021
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After over six hours on the pitch, an Umpire will finally call the end of play in Test Cricket and all the hard fought battles and grafts will be put on hold until the following morning.

In a typical Test match, where play begins at 11am, the end of the day will come at around 7.30pm.

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Fans saw this in the first Ashes test match last week which took place in Brisbane. The first day was halted due to poor weather but the remaining matches went on til the evening.

In the upcoming test match, fans will be able to watch more of the action at convenient times for UK viewers as the cricketers will take part in the first of the Ashes day/night Tests.

The final session will likely be the most commonly watched for England fans and viewers might be able to sneak in a few overs either before work or if they happen to be enjoying a slower day…

England play their first day/night test on Thursday England play their first day/night test on Thursday
England play their first day/night test on Thursday

The first day/night Test to be played in cricket took place between Australia and New Zealand in 2015 at the Adelaide Oval and was a great success. It allows fans to watch the cricketers tackle new challenges on the pitch, most notably the changing light and pink ball.

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Many have complained that the new ball has brought about differences in weight and swing, but scientists have strongly contested it.

I suppose we shall wait to see what the famous ‘King of Swing’ James Anderson can do with the ball before making too strong a judgement on the pink ball’s ability to swing.

Here is all you need to know about the close of play in Cricket ahead of the second Ashes Test.

When is the second Ashes test taking place?

Joe Root and Pat Cummins will face each other for the second time on Thursday 16 December 2021. If all five days are required, the Test match will conclude on Monday 20 December 2021.

Where is the match being held?

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The match is being held at the Adelaide Oval, North Adelaide, South Australia.

What time does the match begin?

Play will start at 4am GMT (2.30pm ACDT) every day. Play is likely to begin earlier if any overs are lost from the day before.

When is the close of play?

The Umpire will likely call the end of play at 11am GMT (9.30pm ACDT). There should be around six hours of playing time, or at least 90 overs after the star of play before the end of the day..

When does an Umpire call the close of play?

The Lord’s Laws of Cricket - 12.6:

“When one hour of Playing time of the match remains, according to the agreed hours of play, the over in progress shall be completed. The next over shall be the first of a minimum of 20 overs which must be bowled, provided that a result is not reached earlier and provided that there is no interval or interruption in play.

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The period of play thereafter shall be referred to as the last hour, whatever its actual duration.”

Umpires most often alter the timings of the end of play if the light has significantly dropped or it begins to rain.

If players complain about the decreasing light, Umpires will often assess the situation and call the end of play. Likewise, Umpires will often make the call themselves, much to the annoyance of the team in the advantageous position.

If a call is made to close play sooner than expected, an additional half an hour or hour can be added to the next day’s play to make up the lost overs.

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In the case of the day/night test, Umpires will not signal the close of play due to the lighting as cricketers are using a more visible pink ball. Therefore, the close of play is only likely to be changed if there is a sudden change in weather.

How to watch the second Test match?

BT Sport has all the rights for the Ashes 2021/22 series. Go to our how to watch the Ashes article to find out more.

Who is in the second Ashes test squad?

England: Joe Root (c) , James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.

Australia: Pat Cummins (c) , Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

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