Cricket: Amiss in World Cup lights call

The success of the pioneering venture at Edgbaston has led Dennis Amiss, the Warwickshire chief executive, to urge the English Cricket Board to consider floodlit cricket for the 1999 World Cup.

A crowd of 15,174 witnessed Wednesday's floodlit Sunday League game with Somerset, and Warwickshire, who won by 35 runs, made a profit of around pounds 70,000 from gate receipts and catering. It was a staggering return for one evening as Warwickshire's total revenue through the turnstiles last season was only pounds 40,000.

"What happened proves people want this sort of cricket and I'd like to think we can progress further and have more evening matches under floodlights," Amiss said.

"It is food for thought for the ECB now. Maybe they have to think this is the way forward, maybe for the World Cup. We've a one-day international here against South Africa next year and I think they should seriously consider staging it as a day-night match."

John Carr, the ECB cricket operations manager, said: "I was very impressed with the level of interest from the crowd and the atmosphere was more like an international match. As regards things like the World Cup, you don't want to get too carried away and run before you can walk."