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Local officials carried out extensive testing of floodlights at the National Stadium on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s fifth one-dayer between Pakistan and the West Indies.

Having learnt their lessons from the sorry episode of the Lahore match last Sunday when the floodlights went off at the twilight stage of the West Indian innings, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials made it a point to thoroughly check the light towers at the National Stadium.

At Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, floodlights went dead in the 28th over of the third one-dayer before umpires stopped play in the 47th due to poor natural light in the day-night game.

Later, Pakistan’s target was recalculated to 191 off 35 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis system after an hour’s play was lost due to malfunctioning floodlights.

The PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf later ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The floodlights at the National Stadium will be tested again this evening when both the Pakistan and West Indian teams would carry out their practice sessions. Both teams have decided to train under artificial lights.

Before the training sessions, rival captains Inzamam-ul-Haq and Brian Lara would attend pre-match press conferences at the National Stadium.

Inzamam’s Pakistan are leading the five-match series 2-1 with wins in Faisalabad and Lahore and a loss in Multan. The series opening one-dayer in Rawalpindi was washed out by torrential rain on December 5.

Source:The News