The MCC hope to send a team to play in Zimbabwe, as long as a fact-finding mission of the country suggests the trip is feasible. The club's world cricket committee - chaired by Tony Lewis and including ex-Test cap They announced their ambition to investigate whether Zimbabwe may be ready for a return to the Test cricket fold, at a Lord's press conference this afternoon. The committee also urged the International Cricket Council immediately to institute day-night cricket, rather than allow another 18 months of further discussion first. There is a consensus at the MCC that such a delay would amount to mere procrastination when they are sure all elements are already in place for the break with tradition to allow Test cricket under lights - and the move is likely to breathe new life into the format as a spectator sport worldwide. The MCC's assistant secretary John Stephenson spelled out that, after the successful trial of day-night four-day cricket with a pink ball in the English season curtain-raiser champion county fixture in Abu Dhabi, there is simply no reason not to press on immediately to help Tests become more commercially viable worldwide. "We should not delay in presenting day-night Test cricket as an option for those Test-playing countries that are struggling to attract an audience. "We say this form of the game is viable now. We proved it in Abu Dhabi with the four-day game under lights. It was the perfect experiment, and demonstrated this game should go ahead now. "We don't need another 18 months of research. The world of cricket is ready. It should not wait; the time is now." Australia great Waugh added his personal endorsement. "I think it will be great. There is always going to be resistance to change, because it takes people out of their comfort zone," he said. "But I think as a player I would love it, embrace it - a day-night Test match, and the chance to be part of history. "Test cricket needs these things to get people back watching it." The MCC cannot be so unequivocal on Zimbabwe - despite a favourable presentation from that national team's former captain, and current England coach, Flower - hence they are planning to find out for themselves. To support the notion of the MCC touring Zimbabwe, and then pressing for reinstatement of Test status, the fact-finding mission - to be undertaken by the luminaries of the world committee - will need to ascertain that both the political structure and cricket administration have progressed sufficiently since the darkest days of Robert Mugabe's previous regime. "The reason for going there is we don't know what we will find, or want to find - the political situation is so fractured, as far as we can believe," said Lewis. "But the one person urging us to have a look is Andy Flower, and we believe greatly in his judgment - so we will go with open minds. "We will go through all the correct processes you would expect first; we won't blithely go to Zimbabwe and start playing games again. "But we felt as if, unless we started to do something now, it would be too easy to let the situation freeze." The MCC's hope is that they can use their freedom from allegiance to any other administrators to unilaterally highlight the topic of Zimbabwe again - and perhaps ensure the right outcome. "It's very difficult for the established governing bodies in cricket to make that suggestion and leap," added Lewis. "With MCC's independence and global reach, it is easier for us to go and look and find out and come back and recommend to the great decision-makers. "We don't run cricket but we can act as 'Polyfilla', I think, in tricky situations. "Unless someone says 'let's have a go', nothing will happen - and I would like to think that one day they will be back in the (Test) cricket fold. "We may come back at the end and say 'we had a really good look, and it's not right'. "But there is an optimum time to go, and we think it should be shortly." 
tains Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid - have been addressed on the subject of Zimbabwe by Andy Flower, in the course of a two-day meeting.
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