Getting ready! Australia may host the inaugural day-night Test against New Zealand.
© AFP
Melbourne: In a first, the pink ball is likely to make its debut in Adelaide or Hobart when Australia hosts trans-Tansman rivals New Zealand in a Test series later this year, according to a report.
According to a report in ESPN cricinfo, Australia appear almost certain to host the inaugural day-night Test against New Zealand in November with Adelaide Oval and Bellerive Oval in Hobart likely to be one of the venues.
The development first came to light after Cricket Australia organised day-night round of Sheffield Shield matches in last year with pink Kookaburra balls, following on from a similar round near the end of last summer.
CA exuded confidence that the pink ball will be able to sustain the rigours of Test cricket after Channel Nine and the Australian Board on Sunday conducted a broadcast trial with pink balls.
Channel Nine used their full setup of cameras in place for the India-Australia ODI and club cricketers took part in the pink-ball trial before play, during the innings break and after the end of the match.
According to the report, new balls -- 40-over balls and 80-over balls -- were used in the different light conditions in an attempt to replicate the progression of a day-night Test.
"We have conducted several broadcast trials in recent years which identified the pink ball as the most suitable for use in a day-night Test," CA CEO James Sutherland said.
"However as we move closer to scheduling a match, we felt this was a good opportunity to take advantage of Nine's full-camera set up and help it adequately prepare for a potential day-night Test later this year."
The ICC had approved day-night Test cricket in 2012, but left the finer points of such an arrangement to the participating nations.
CA and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) last year discussed the prospect of playing a day-night Test during New Zealand's tour of Australia in the 2015-16 season.
"The option to time-shift Test cricket into the evening will only strengthen the position and possibilities for Test cricket in many parts of the world," Sutherland said.
"There are many Test matches played during non-holiday periods when adults are at work and kids are at school. That's not an ideal way to promote the highest form of the game. In fact there isn't a major team sport in the world that schedules the majority of its premium content during the working week.
"We're not talking about playing the Boxing Day or New Year's Test at night. The summer holiday period in Australia really lends itself to Test cricket, but at other times of the year it can be difficult for fans to attend or watch Test matches, be it here or in other parts of the world. That's really at the heart of the issue. The challenge is to try to make Test cricket more accessible for fans around the world," he added.
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