Chris Adams: Floodlights plunge the four-day game into twilight zone of an artificial contest

Rain has unfortunately played havoc with our crucial Championship match against Hampshire, but the talking point from day one was my decision to bat after winning the toss. We closed on 64 for 6, but I stand by my choice because wickets at The Rose Bowl can be tricky.

Whenever Sussex play there they use the same area of the square and it is often damp. I don't know if it's a tactic or the time of year but chasing 180 to 240 to win has historically been difficult. It's generally a soft pitch and deliveries make indentations that not even the heaviest rollers iron out, so the track becomes mottled and uneven.

Life in the first innings can be hard especially if the conditions swing as they did on Wednesday, but it's not as tough as batting on the final day when the wicket has dried and misbehaves. A seaming ball is one thing but if it doesn't bounce or rears up off a ridge it's another.

Having said that, it was one of those tosses you want to lose. Who knows what Shane Warne would have done but I know he likes to bat first. Forty minutes in we were 25 for 2 with Murray Goodwin going well, but then the light deteriorated and was reading only "eight" on the meter. Normally the umpires would ask the batsmen if they want to go off but floodlights can now be used if the county has declared them at the start of the season.

The lights replicate that period we all dread in day-night one-day games - twilight. The artificial light lifted the meter reading to "12" and it looked brighter to the naked eye, but it makes judging depth, line and length really difficult. It's not as simple as saying the light is better so batting is easier. It takes at least 15 minutes to adjust and umpires who have not played under lights may not realise that.

I appreciate the powers-that-be want to continue play for the public especially when so much has been washed out of late, but floodlit cricket has no place in four-day or Test matches and at Hove we refuse to use ours. It should be our best XI against the opposition's best XI in equal conditions, not forcing the issue in an artificial environment.

Anyway, the rain came and saved us further damage but it was an added frustration to lose Robin Martin-Jenkins just as the heavens opened. Despite losing all of Thursday to rain we remain positive that the game can be won after we yesterday battled to 145, which could be a competitive score. Anything can happen on the final day, especially with the ball in control.

It's irritating that we've not had Championship matches at Hove lately because while most grounds have been swamped ours is dry, but we've been up against India and Sri Lanka A instead. Top-of-the-table Yorkshire keep responding well to pressure. Adil Rashid got them out of a hole with the bat against Surrey and they will have been pleased with a draw. It will be that tight at the finish and 200 points could do it. The winner could come from three or four teams, which is a fantastic advert for the Championship.

Test proves positive

The first Test was awesome and showed that England and India are evenly matched. What a finish, and Pete Moores and Michael Vaughan will have looked at replays of that Steve Bucknor lbw decision that went against Monty Panesar: it was more straightforward than the one he got Sachin Tendulkar with.

There were some impressive performances and none more so than Kevin Pietersen's. I was critical of him, mentioning his fatigue before the Test, as you want your best player to do his talking with the bat and he did exactly that. From nought to 50 it was an untypical, grafting innings against classy seam and swing bowling. Not many pitches behave like Lord's because of the slope so it was probably his most mature Test innings. Once he got past 50 and England had a safe lead he opened his shoulders and bludgeoned his way to a ton.

I was also pleased for Matt Prior, whose second innings 40 proved he is not just a big hitter. England were under pressure when he went in and he understood his role was to stay in and allow Pietersen to make hay. There is not much batting under Matt and had he gone Pietersen could have run out of partners.

Giving Chris Tremlett his debut proved to be another tick for Pete. He could have made the easy decision and selected Stuart Broad, who had a fine game against India for England A and is also a superior batsman. But Tremlett, who has struggled for consistency in the past, is a handful when he gets it right and looks an exciting prospect because of his extra bounce. Trent Bridge offers easier batting conditions so it will be interesting to see if he can find a repeat performance.

Write Tendulkar off at your peril

I have read some articles suggesting that, at 34, Tendulkar's power is waning.

If that is so, it can only be because he is allowing himself to drift because he should be in his prime. Graham Gooch, who was the last England batsman to classify as "world-class" because of his volume of runs and the attacks he faced, went on until he was 40 and in his mid-thirties was at his belligerent best. He got 2,000 runs in a season aged 38 and I remember him getting a big ton to lead Essex to victory over us.

How Tendulkar, one of the world's greatest batsmen over the last decade, motivates himself and what ambitions he holds are critical, not his age, but the criticism strikes me as premature. Let's judge the little maestro after the final Test.

Usual suspects take starring role

Sky has accumulated a fantastic commentary team that was made to work during the rain breaks at Lord's, discussing tactics and analysing play. It would've been easy to show repeats but with that experience in the box it would've been a waste and I loved listening to them.

The cast: David Gower (The Stylist). A great front man, who offers elegance and panache but must find it hard to ask questions he clearly knows the answer to.

Ian Botham (The Legend). Like a fine wine his commentary has improved as he has aged. He used to love his controversial comments, but I believe he likes what he is seeing under the new England regime so has been able to mellow.

David Lloyd (The Entertainer). I could listen to him for hours. He is a very funny bloke but is also knowledgeable, having held most positions within the game: player, umpire, county coach and England coach. If he'd turned to politics, he could be in No 10 now.

Nasser Hussain (The Straight Man). Probably the best commentator, although it's a close thing. He uses his experience and knowledge of players he captained and focuses on the positive as much as the negative, which can be just as interesting.

Michael Atherton (The Scholar). The most intelligent of the team, which is given away by his choice of footwear: the Cambridge boating shoe. In fact, they are probably the same pair he had when he was at university as he has a reputation for being a tad scruffy. He is a tremendous bloke with a deep knowledge of captaincy.

Michael Holding (The Voice). My mother-in-law once said she could listen to Holding's smooth tones for ever. He gives it straight and knows his bowling inside out.

Adams family hit the road

The weather has ruined any cricket for Georgia so the family are staying in our hotel at the moment and are going to tour the country with me over the coming weeks to watch some cricket (hopefully) as Sussex head here and there. It's nice to have them around, as life on the road can get tedious otherwise.

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