Australia and New Zealand are to play the first day-night match in Test cricket’s 138-year history, cricket heads announced yesterday, in a bid to drive up dwindling spectator numbers for the five-day game.
Despite misgivings among players, officials from both countries decided to proceed this year with the experimental format — played under lights and with a pink ball — which they hope will drive up attendance and television ratings.
“To be brutally honest, if you look at Test cricket around the world, it is challenged,” Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland said. “We believe this is an opportunity that can breathe new life into Test cricket.”
He said the Test day-nighter, to be staged at the Adelaide Oval from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, would allow fans to watch or attend the game after work.
CA, backed by broadcaster Channel Nine, has promoted the idea for years and trialed day-night first-class cricket during the past two domestic Sheffield Shield seasons.
The historic first international in Adelaide will be the third and final Test in a series between the trans-Tasman rivals.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann said it was a way to boost the popularity of Test cricket, which is seen by purists as the pinnacle of the game, but has been overshadowed by limited-overs formats in recent years.
“Only time will tell if it’s right or wrong,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to give it a crack and I think it’s important for the game.”
New Zealand Cricket head David White said the day-night format would not take over from regular Test cricket, describing it as part of the game’s evolution.
“Since the first Test in 1877, there have been numerous changes to the laws and rules in an effort to ensure the game remains relevant — and this is another,” he said.
The pink match ball has been developed by manufacturer Kookaburra to be more visible to players under lights than the traditional red one.
Despite administrators’ enthusiasm, many players fear for batsmen trying to play the ball under lights and are concerned the game’s traditions are being trampled
A survey of New Zealand’s top players last month found most senior Black Caps were skeptical about taking part in an experiment they feared could “devalue” the Test.
However, the pay-off for the Black Caps’ involvement is guaranteed matches against Australia for the next seven years.
“It’s uncharted territory and because of that, there will be uncertainty and apprehension,” New Zealand Players’ Association head Heath Mills said. “However, whilst the players have reservations about playing Test cricket at night, they see the bigger picture in the new agreement.”
Lehmann said he viewed the match as a chance to participate in a piece of Test history.
“It adds something special to it,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what it brings — seeing how both teams perform under lights, a massive crowd; it’ll be exceptional for everyone.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
RSS