Day-night Ashes Test 'distinct possibility': CA

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland has confirmed it is a "distinct possibility" the first day-night Ashes Test could be played during the next battle for the urn in the Australian summer of 2017-18.

Sutherland unveiled a blockbuster schedule for the upcoming summer on Wednesday, featuring a day-night showdown with Pakistan in Brisbane and another proposed pink-ball clash with South Africa in Adelaide.

Quick Single: Four nations set to tour in blockbuster 2016-17

With Australia's next five-Test series against England to come the following summer, Adelaide Oval and the Gabba would appear to now be frontrunners for the right to host the inaugural day-night Ashes Test.

"I think it's a distinct possibility," Sutherland told cricket.com.au.

"I think over the course of the next 12 months or so we'll see day-night Test cricket being played in other countries other than Australia.

"I'm really confident that other member boards are very keen to do that.

"As we've talked about, there's going be more (day-night) Test cricket played into future and it will be a part of regular series.

"And it may well be that there is a day-night Test match in the Ashes series in 2017-18."

Sutherland's statement reaffirms comments he made in Sydney in January, when he suggested it would be a "natural progression" for cricket's longest-running tradition to embrace its newest format.

While Sutherland said in January no formal discussions had taken place between the England and Wales Cricket Board and CA, UK newspaper The Telegraph reported that the ECB planned to arrange a series of day-night county matches in 2017 in order to give their players valuable exposure to the pink ball.

A lack of pink-ball experience is chief among South Africa players' reluctance to play the proposed day-night Test in Adelaide this year, but Sutherland said he was hopeful the Proteas would ultimately agree to play the pink-ball fixture.

Quick Single: Proteas must see 'big picture': Sutherland

"We're still optimistic that the big picture will prevail.

"The big picture is about making the game of Test cricket more accessible to fans and those sitting at home, to be able watch into the evening after school or work.

"We know the success of the Adelaide Test match last year is a proof of concept, if you like.

"That's one of the reasons we're so enthusiastically in favour of having a couple day-night Test matches this summer."

Quick Single: Proteas stars at odds on day-night Test

The action packed 2016-17 schedule, which will feature 41 days of international cricket, sees Australia jump between formats as they first play South Africa in three days, followed by a Chappell-Hadlee one-day series against New Zealand.

A three-Test series against Pakistan will follow, before the teams meet in five one-day internationals.

However Sutherland doesn't believe the constant switching between formats will impact the Australian players.

"I think it's something that in this current day and age players are used to doing.

"They're used to playing in different countries, chopping and changing from one format to another. Different colours ball is another thing that comes into it.

"But it's all part of being an international cricketer in this day and age."

Image Id: ~/media/8A69E289C1A44F93BF0D428F74A32B20