Cricket Australia announced a historic summer schedule on Monday.
Of the six matches the Australian team is scheduled to play this November-December, one of the matches will create history: a day-night Test match, 138 years after the first Test match was played.
Yes, the world's first day and night match will be played at the Adelaide Oval Stadium between Australia and New Zealand.
It will be the last of the three-match series and will be played from 27 November to 1 December.
Day 1 of the day and night Test match will not only be historic but also heart-rending for Australia, as it will mark one year of Australian cricketer Philip Hughes' unfortunate death. The 25-year-old died two days after he was struck by a delivery during a domestic match.
The day and night Test match concept has also brought the two boards closer. Australia and New Zealand will be hosting six Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI series over the next four years (four in New Zealand and two in Australia).
The idea of day and night Test match has been around for the last few years, but did not fructify. The visibility of the pink ball was a concern and so none of the cricket boards agreed to it.
New Zealand Cricket Chief David White welcomed the idea of the day and night Test matches and termed it as "another step forward in the evolution of the game".
"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. As administrators we owe it to the game to keep exploring ways of moving forward," White said in an interview to the official website of Cricket Australia.
The change would suit television broadcasters as it would help them increase their TRP ratings. Both Australia and New Zealand will be practising under lights with the pink ball to acclimatise with the new concept before they play the historic day and night Test match at the Adelaide Oval.
"We'll make sure that the players from both teams are well prepared. We're working really closely with New Zealand Cricket in giving them the right tour matches and preparation before the ultimate day-night Test, which is the last of the series. And similarly with our players, a number of our players have already had experience through Shield cricket. But those that haven't, we'll be finding opportunities for them to play with the pink balls and also to play under lights as well," Chief of Cricket Australia James Sutherland said.
