'Different game' awaits ascendant Aussies under lights

Speedster Pat Cummins insists a pink-ball match is "almost a different format" as Australia look ahead to the second Domain Test against Pakistan under the lights of Adelaide Oval from Friday.

Tim Paine's team heads to the South Australian capital with a one-nil lead in the two-match series and feeling confident in the knowledge they are five wins from five pink-ball Tests since the concept was launched four years ago.

Three of those wins have come in Adelaide, where Cummins believes conditions will present a "different game" to the Gabba Test, during which bowlers struggled for seam and swing across the four days.

"Pink ball is going to be a whole different almost format to what it was out here," the world's No.1 ranked Test quick told cricket.com.au moments after Australia's innings win was wrapped up in Brisbane.

"It felt like once the ball got soft there wasn't a lot of sideways movement and they played really nicely, especially when we gave them some width.

"Hopefully Adelaide, our record there is really good, we know the conditions well, it'll be a bit of a different game, I think.

"We've all spent quite a few long days in the dirt on flat MCG or SCG wickets, so a bit of grass on the wicket, the pink ball zipping around at night – it's a fast-bowler's dream."

The numbers certainly support Cummins' enthusiasm at the shift in venue, time and ball, with the right-armer tallying 13 wickets at 11.38 in two pink-ball Tests, while Mitchell Starc (26 wickets at 23) and Josh Hazlewood (21 at 22.43) have also wreaked havoc.

Australia captain Tim Paine said the day-night Test was "a completely different beast" from regular Test cricket but cautioned against getting too carried away until conditions are assessed throughout the match.

"It's still a game of cricket," Paine said. "Certainly there's going to be times during the game where tactics might be slightly different – day, night, we'll wait and see on the wicket and how the ball handles it, whether it goes soft or if it'll nip around for the whole game.

"Everyone's looking forward to it but we do know it's a completely different beast."

The value under lights of left-arm swing ace Starc was singled out as being particularly exciting for the home side by Test great Ricky Ponting, who also recounted the work of England with the pink ball in Adelaide two summers ago.

"If you get the right time and the right conditions, we saw a game a couple of years ago when Stuart Broad and (James) Anderson under lights were pretty much unplayable – Australia could've been bowled out in a couple of hours quite easily," Ponting told cricket.com.au.

"So you never know what you're going to get there. During the day it's obviously great to bat on. But if you get a new ball under lights with a nice, clear sky, then the ball will go all over the place.

"If you've got Starc in your side and he gets those conditions, he'll be a real handful."

Domain Test Series v Pakistan

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.

First Test: Australia won by an innings and five runs.

Second Test: November 29 – December 3, Adelaide (d/n) (Seven, Fox & Kayo)