Adelaide day-night Test in new twist

The prospect of a return of day-night Test cricket to the Adelaide Oval took a twist today with the Australian Cricketers' Association claiming players would "prefer" to play just one pink-ball match this summer.

A day-night Test against Pakistan at the Gabba in mid-December has been confirmed, and Cricket Australia remains "optimistic" the third Test of the three-match series against South Africa in November would also be played under lights at the Adelaide Oval.

The success of the inaugural day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide last year, which drew record crowd and television figures, convinced CA to push for two Tests under lights this season.

However, ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson today said playing a Test with the pink Kookaburra ball was a "fundamentally different" game and players would "prefer" to have just one such match this summer.

"The feedback we are receiving from our playing group is that there still remains concerns over day-night Tests and whilst there is acknowledgement that this format may grow the game, at this stage the players would prefer to only play one day-night Test in 2016-17," Nicholson said in a statement today.

"Pink-ball Tests are a fundamentally different game to traditional red-ball Test matches.

"We continue to be concerned about the durability and visibility of the pink ball, both the changing light conditions and the specifically-prepared pitches are altering the conditions that the players are used to at each venue."

A CA spokesperson said the organisation would push ahead with efforts to secure two day-night Tests this summer.

"We are aware of comments from Alistair Nicholson today in regards to the proposed Adelaide day-night Test match," the spokesperson said.

"Along with a number of other parties, the ACA is consulted each year prior to the summer schedule being announced – and this year is no different.

"We remain optimistic that the Adelaide Test match will be played as a day-night match. After the success of last summer's Adelaide Test, the anticipation in that market is huge.

"Whilst discussions between ourselves and Cricket South Africa will continue, we don't expect material progress on this matter until after the IPL concludes."

CA chief executive James Sutherland held discussions with his CSA counterpart at an International Cricket Council conference in Dubai last weekend.

Sutherland returned from the meetings buoyed by a "very broad-ranging commitment to day-night Test cricket".

Speaking earlier this month, Sutherland said the commercial success of the first-ever day-night Test last November – more than 123,000 fans attended the three days while an average of 2 million viewers tuned in on television – was difficult to ignore.

"I don't think anyone involved with that game could genuinely say that Adelaide Test match wasn't a success ... day-night Test cricket is here to stay," he said.

"I remain optimistic because I really believe that the big picture is too hard to argue with.

"There are literally tens of thousands of people that want to see this match played day-night and I don't think a handful of players who are objecting to that should necessarily be holding it back.

"It's an interesting contrast, isn't it – Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan players enthusiastically took up the invitation to play that Test match (in Brisbane)."

The third Test between Australia and South Africa will be played in Adelaide on November 24-28.