Date-stamped : 17 Feb1998 - 10:33 17 February 1998 Test floodlight experiment a costly failure Trevor Chesterfield Johannesburg - One of South Africa's bright innovations at test level, the switching on of floodlights to get rid of the bad light problem, is likely to end up with the ICC pulling the plug. Such has been the fiasco of the experiment, used first in Australia and now South Africa, this summer that ICC referees and the panel of National Grid umpires are expected to suggest a retuurn to normality. Even with the lights switched on at the Wanderers in the controversial first test of series against Pakistan, the problem lies with the inability of the batsmen and some fielders to pick up the red ball. So far 51 overs - about one and a half sessions - have been lost in playing time at the Wanderers and with further rain and heavy cloud cover forecast for today, the chances of more time being lost is a strong possibility. As it is Barry Skjoldhammer, the Ggauteng Cricket Board chairman, yesterday admitted the cost of turning on the lights was between R70 000 and R80 000. An expensive hobby for such a monumental failure. While neither the match referee, John Reid, a former New Zealand captain who once scored a century at Wanderers, nor umpires Cyril Mitchley and Peter Willey are allowed to comment, they are obviously embarrassed by the farce of having the lights switched on only for the players to go off because they cannot see the ball. Under the playing conditions for the tests in this series and those against Sri Lanka only the lights at the Wanderers, Kingsmead and Newlands are to be switched on in the evnt of bad light. The wording says only in the opinion of the umpires, should light deteriorate to an unfit level, are the lights to be switched on. But the experiment has been such a flop, and creating the wrong image, that Reid as well as Mitchley and Willey are expected to recommend the scrapping of the system in a special report to be sent to the ICC. Reid is not prepared to comment until he has handed in his report of the series. Meanwhile rookie teenage Pakistan fast bowler Fazal-e-Akbar has been summoned to join the injury-hit tourists and arrives in South Africa today. Although it does not rule out Wasim Akram arriving next week and in time for the second test in Durban now 10 days away, Fazal, from Peshawar, has played in one ODI for Pakistan against Indian in the Bangladesh during the Independence Cup tournament in Dhaka last month. He delivered two overs when he opened the bowling with Aaqib Javed and scored seven when batting at 10 in the order. Whether this is any recommendation as a replacement for the jured Mohammad Akram is as uncertain as his alleged aged makes him the youngest player on either side. Although the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the announcement yesterday it came via CricInfo on the Internet and most off the media were only made aware of it officially well after lunch. As for Akram, the theory is that in the event of South Africa beating Pakistan at the Wanderers, he may turn up early next week in time for the Kingsmead test. Which causes even a bigger mysstery of why such a young player is coming instead of the experienced Aaqib Javed. Trevor Chesterfield, Cricket writer, Pretoria News tche@ptn.independent.co.za Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)