Australia, New Zealand set for 1st ever day- night, pink ball Test

Rival captains Steve Smith and Brendon McCullum said on Thursday they were excited about what the first-ever day-night Test could mean for the future of cricket.

Australia will host New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in a match which starts on Friday afternoon and is set to span five days and nights.

Australia, which leads the three-test series 1-0 after a 208-run win in Brisbane and a high-scoring draw in Perth, recalled Siddle to fill the void created by the retirement last week of paceman Mitchell Johnson. For the hosts, at least part of their minds will be on their former test teammate Phillip Hughes, who was felled by a cricket ball a year ago this week and died, never regaining consciousness.

But it was Mitchell Starc who made the key breakthrough as Australia took early honours in the day-night third Test at Adelaide Oval.

“I was a bit shaken up to be perfectly honest, and I think a couple of the guys were as well”, he said.

“I love Test cricket, but we need to make it relevant to ensure that it not only survives, but thrives going forward”.

“I think it’s a really exciting concept I can’t wait to get out and give it a crack”.

It will be a major departure from tradition, with the relatively untested pink leather ball replacing the standard-issue red for the first time in a format that dates back to the 1870s.

Gillespie’s only reservation about pink ball cricket is the pink ball itself, which has drawn a mixed reaction from players. There’s also the question of whether the ball could swing considerably more during the moister, cooler evening sessions than it does during the day.

“We have also supplied a number of other ICC members like CSA (Cricket South Africa) and WICB (West Indies), and have been equally happy with its performances at domestic level”, Brett Elliot, Kookaburra managing director, said.

The pitch in Adelaide looked flat and dry despite talk in the lead-up that more grass would be left on the wicket to help maintenance of the pink ball.