Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt has defended Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the installation of new LED lights at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore after New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra was hit on the head while attempting to take a catch. Butt feels that Ravindra did not lose the ball because of LED lights' glare but misjudged the catch as fielders often do.
"There's no point trying to make people understand when they don't want to. It's irrelevant. These are some of the latest LED lights that have been installed, so these are fine. When New Zealand players hit sixes off deliveries bowled at close to 150 kph, were the lights not working then? A player who was standing 70 meters away failed to take the catch because of his misjudgement. He is a fine fielder, but perhaps his leg slipped, and he got hurt," he said on a local news channel.
Ravindra got injured in the opening clash of the tri-nation series involving hosts Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa. As soon as the ball hit him on the face, the crowd went silent. He was bleeding and the support staff covered with a towel as they escorted him off the field. He missed the match against South Africa on February 10. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in their official statement revealed that he suffered a laceration. He is being monitored by the medical staff and there are doubts over his further participation in the tri-nation series.
While many have criticised the LED lights including former captain Rashid Latif, Butt has hit back those who don't want Gaddafi Stadium to host ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He compared it with the recent issue during the ODI series between India and England when the second ODI at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack was halted due to floodlight malfunction.
"Like some of the prior campaigns that stated Pakistan cannot host a tournament as big as the Champions Trophy because the stadiums are not ready, I want to ask the same people, 'What do you have to say about what happened in Barabati Stadium? That is an established stadium.' So, I want to say that these things happen. These are not big issues. Just because Rachin was hit in the face doesn't mean that PCB is to be blamed for it," he said.
Former Pakistan cricketer disagrees with Butt
On the other hand, another former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Mohammad noticed that Daryl Mitchell faced issue spotting the ball during the series opener as well.
"Most definitely. In fact, before the whole Rachin Ravindra incident, I noticed that even Daryl Mitchell had some trouble spotting the ball when he fielding. The moment he took the catch, at a normal height, I noticed that his expressions indicated that he couldn't quite see the ball properly," he said in the same discussion.
"So if he too faced the same problem, something is wrong. The placement of the floodlights is a technical aspect. Rachin was standing at deep square leg, and the light was right before him. Now, that is not usually where floodlights are erected in a stadium. There is some glare due to which the ball is getting lost in the players' vision."
Next day/night encounter at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium
The second match of the tri-series was a day game between New Zealand and South Africa. The two remaining matches will be played at National Stadium, Karachi. The first match of the Champions Trophy in Lahore will be played between Australia and England on February 22. The team fielding second will be able to give more clarity whether there is a problem with the LED lights or not.