Pink-ball Shield round 'not ideal': Johnson

Mitchell Johnson says playing a round of day-night Sheffield Shield matches is not the ideal preparation for Australia's Test series against New Zealand next month.

Australia's Test players will turn out for their state sides in the opening Shield round from October 28, their only first-class fixture before the series against the Black Caps gets underway on November 5.

The day-night Shield round will act as preparation for the historic pink ball Test in Adelaide, starting November 27.

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Johnson opted to withhold his opinion of the day-night Test until later in the summer, but expressed his disappointment at having to play Shield cricket with a pink ball so close to the opening Test at the Gabba, a day Test match to be played with the traditional red ball.

With Australia's tour of Bangladesh postponed and the country's leading cricketers currently competing in the Matador One-Day Cup, Johnson said players were in desperate need of match practice with the red ball.

While a two-day camp in Sydney this week has given the Test squad some practice against the red ball, Johnson said it's not enough.

"I don't think it's ideal us playing a day-night Shield (match) coming into a three-Test series, two of them with a red ball and one with a pink ball," Johnson said.

"I don't think it's ideal. Especially with guys missing out on Bangladesh and needing to bowl with the red ball.

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"We're playing this (camp) now, then I'm going down to Tassie to play with a pink ball (in the Shield).

"I don't think it's the best preparation but I guess that's why we had this camp as well, to get a bit of a feel with the red ball again."

Johnson played a straight bat when asked for his thoughts on the day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval – as he'd done when asked about the new concept in June – but forecast he would not be shy in sharing his opinion later in the summer

"Maybe I'll just keep that until that Test match," he said.

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But Johnson's comments before this year's Ashes series indicate he would like to see the conventions of Test cricket maintained.

"One thing is I love the tradition of Test cricket," he said. "Things like the Baggy Green and little things like wearing the woollen jumper – we had an option to change that but we wanted to keep that as a tradition.

"I think tradition in the game is very important."

Earlier this year, fellow quick Mitchell Starc expressed his concerns about the concept of pink-ball cricket, both for players and spectators.

"I can understand why it's happening, and how we’re trying to progress the game and evolve the game but I guess time will tell whether it works or not,” Starc said.

"I'm yet to be convinced.

"I've only played that one game (for NSW) with the pink ball and had a day's preparation before that, so either side of that I haven't touched the thing.

"The other thing as well is, personally, I couldn't see the thing at night on the boundary.

"I couldn't see the ball, so I'm not sure how the crowd are going to see it."