New Zealand Cricket has agreed to play a day-night Test against Australia as part of a deal that will resume regular cricket between the two neighbours after a gap of four years and provide a significant financial leg-up for New Zealand.
According to a report in Cricinfo, the inaugural, experimental day-night Test will be played at Adelaide Oval with a Kookaburra pink ball in the third match of the series between Australia and New Zealand, between November 27 and December 1.
The match will go ahead much to the delight of the CA chief executive James Sutherland, who has championed the concept for more than seven years.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said the day-night Test puts fans first, with more spectators able to attend or watch on television.
"One of the global challenges with Test cricket is that most of the matches outside holiday periods are played on week days, in the middle of the day when people are at work and kids are at school," Sutherland said on Cricket Australia website (www.cricket.com.au)
"By shifting the playing times each day's play can go into the evening and allow people to come in after work or after school to attend the last few hours of play, but also when they get home in other parts of the world or other parts of the country, they can watch the game on TV," he added.
A start time for the day-night Test is still under consideration and not yet confirmed, but one possible scenario would see play start at 2.30pm and run until 9.30pm Adelaide time.
That would mean play would be from 3pm to 10pm in Melbourne and Sydney, 2pm to 9pm in Brisbane, noon to 7pm in Perth and 5pm to midnight in New Zealand.
In another break from Test cricket tradition, the longer 40-minute interval, known as 'lunch' in day Tests, could now be held between the second and third sessions, and would be known as 'dinner'.
