Adelaide Oval to host historic first day-night Test

The first ever day-night Test cricket match will see Australia host New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval will host from 27th November.

The historic event, the third of a three-Test series against the Black Caps on Australian soil this summer, will not only be the first to be played under lights but will also feature a pink Kookaburra ball.

The match headlines a six-Test summer schedule released by Cricket Australia, with the series against New Zealand followed by three Tests against West Indies that includes the marquee Boxing Day and New Year's matches.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland said the day-night Test aimed to put “fans first”, with more spectators able to attend or watch on television.

Sutherland explained "one of the global challenges with Test cricket is that most of the matches outside holiday periods are played on week days, in the middle of the day when people are at work and kids are at school.

"By shifting the playing times each day's play can go into the evening and allow people to come in after work or after school to attend the last few hours of play, but also when they get home in other parts of the world or other parts of the country, they can watch the game on TV."

While start times for the day-night Test are still under consideration and not yet confirmed, one possible scenario would see play start at 2.30pm and run until 9.30pm Adelaide time. That would mean play would be from 3pm to 10pm in Melbourne and Sydney, 2pm to 9pm in Brisbane, noon to 7pm in Perth and 5pm to midnight in New Zealand.

In another break from Test cricket tradition, the longer 40-minute interval, known as 'lunch' in day Tests, could now be held between the second and third sessions, and would be known as 'dinner'.

The 20-minute break for tea would retain the same name, but it would be held between the first and second sessions in the day-night Test.

Welcoming the move, New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive David White labelled the day-night format as "another step forward in the evolution of the game", adding “since the first Test in 1877 there have been numerous changes to the laws and rules in an effort to ensure the game remains relevant – and this is another.

"As administrators we owe it to the game to keep exploring ways of moving forward." Negotiations to secure the day-night Test have brought Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket closer together, also resulting in a commitment to stage six Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI series over the next four years.

Each series will be three matches - a total of 18 games in the time frame - with New Zealand to host four series, starting in early 2016, and Australia two others.

The day-night Test will not only be historic, but the opening day will also be a poignant one for the Australian team - it will be 12 months to the day that Phillip Hughes tragically passed away.

The late batsman, a close friend as well as teammate of many of the Australian players, died two days after he was struck by a short ball while batting in a Sheffield Shield match between NSW and South Australia at the SCG last year.

Last summer's Adelaide Test, the first of a hastily rearranged summer following Hughes's passing, was an emotional affair with David Warner, Steve Smith and Michael Clarke all scoring centuries in tribute to their fallen teammate. 

Image shows a 2015 Cricket World Cup fixture played under lights at the Adelaide Oval.

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