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Pakistan confirm Dubai day-night Test

World's number one Test team will take on the West Indies with the pink ball in October

Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the second day-night Test and first in Asia with Pakistan and West Indies set to face-off in a pink-ball match from October 13 this year, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced today.

The next two Tests of the series will be played in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as regular day matches.

The West Indies will also play a three-day first-class match under the artificial lights and with the pink ball in Sharjah against the PCB Patron XI from October 7-9 as part of the preparation for the day-night Test.

The tour comprises of three T20 Internationals, three One-Day Internationals and three Test matches commencing from September 23 with the T20 Series and followed by the ODI series.

The play, tea and dinner timings for the Test in Dubai are still to be announced yet, with the two boards to determine the hours of play.

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It will also be first time in 10 years that Pakistan will host West Indies in a Test series, the last being during West Indies' tour of Pakistan in 2006 when the hosts won the rubber 2-0 and Brian Lara signed off his illustrious Test career in Karachi.

With Australia also set to host South Africa in a Test under the artificial lights in Adelaide in November and Pakistan in Brisbane in December, the tally of day-night Tests which currently stands at one will be four by the end of this year, and the Dubai Test looms as ideal preparation for the Pakistanis before their tour Down Under.

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The PCB has long been a supporter of day-night Test cricket, having been the first nation to formally invite a team, Sri Lanka, to play a Test under lights in Dubai in 2013 – an offer turned down by Sri Lanka, due to their players' lack of match practice with the pink ball.

Of the 12 first-class day-night matches that have been played in Asia previously, six have been in the United Arab Emirates, three in Pakistan, two in India and one in Bangladesh.

The pink ball and artificial lights were used for six years for the curtain-raiser for the English domestic season from 2010 to 2015. However, the idea was shelved in 2016 as Yorkshire and MCC played the four-day fixture with red ball and in daylight in Abu Dhabi.

The tally of day-night first-class games in Asia is set to be more than doubled in the coming months with India organising all four matches of the ongoing Duleep Trophy under the artificial lights in Greater Noida and Pakistan hosting 11 pink-ball first-class matches, including the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, in the coming domestic season 2016-17 starting from October 1.

However, it remains a challenge for the organisers to successfully host matches with the pink ball and under floodlights due to the abrasive nature of the grounds in Asia and dew also likely to play its part.

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The England batsman Nick Compton, who was captain of the MCC side that played a pink-ball match against Yorkshire in Abu Dhabi in 2015, believes that although the idea to play under the lights is interesting and good for the game it was difficult to adjust to the conditions.

"As a player the transition was tough particularly during the transitional dusk faze when visibility was more difficult and the pink ball began to do a lot more," Compton told cricket.com.au.

"It was exciting, something different although I am a traditionalist and believe in Test cricket and what it has stood for all these years.

"I do believe the longer format is under threat and new ideas to create interest and fundamentally bring people to the grounds is important."

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The grounds in the UAE have good batting strips and the matches there are often run-fests but the game between MCC and Yorkshire was ended in three days mainly because the pink ball played its part.

"There was not any grass on the pitch in Abu Dhabi and the ball did more at times and the lights and visibility made it tougher," Compton added.

Pakistan have been playing its Test matches in the UAE for the last six years and most of those matches have been largely played in front of empty stands.

PCB is looking to host day-night Tests in the UAE to enable fans to attend the match after work hours.

It would also ensure they travel to Australia well-equipped to handle the tricky conditions as they aim to become the first team to defeat Australia in a Test at the Gabba since 1988.

Pakistan vs West Indies, 2016

T20s

23 September: First T20 International, Dubai (DSC)

24 September: Second T20 International, Dubai (DSC)

27 September: Third T20 International, Abu Dhabi

ODIs

30 September: First One Day International D/N, Sharjah

02 October: Second One Day International D/N, Sharjah

05 October: Third One Day International D/N, Abu Dhabi

Tests

13-17 Oct: First Test match D/N, Dubai (DSC)

21-25 Oct: Second Test match, Abu Dhabi

30 Oct-3 Nov: Third Test match, Sharjah

Day-night first-class matches played in Asia to date

1997: Mumbai vs Delhi, Gwalior

2010: MCC vs Durham, Abu Dhabi

2011: Pakistan International Airlines vs Habib Bank Limited, Karachi

2011: MCC vs Nottinghamshire, Abu Dhabi

2011: Pakistan International Airlines vs Zarai  Taraqiati Bank Limited, Karachi

2012: MCC vs Lancashire, Abu Dhabi

2013: Central Zone vs North Zone, Mirpur (Dhaka)

2013: MCC vs Warwickshire, Abu Dhabi

2015: MCC vs Yorkshire, Abu Dhabi

2016: Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited vs United Bank Limited, Karachi

2016: India Red vs India Green, Greater Noida

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