Australia and England likely to play day-night Ashes Test

Sydney, Jan 4: England's next Ashes series in Australia may have a day-night Test match, Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland said on Monday (January 4).

Sutherland said his organisation was negotiating with Pakistan and South Africa about the possibility of staging day-night Tests on their touring schedules later this year.

He also floated the prospect of hosting an Ashes day- night Test in 2017-18 amid high interest in the concept following November's first pink-ball Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide.

"It is certainly on the radar. We haven't had any formal conversations with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board)," Sutherland told ABC Radio during the third Australia-West Indies Test in Sydney.

"With the success of the Adelaide Test match this year, the anticipation is that we will have at least one day-night Test (in 2016).

"It seems like it would be a natural progression for there to be an Ashes day-night Test match in 2017-18."

The historic Adelaide match attracted a total attendance of 123,736 fans over three lively days. The opening day gate of 47,441 was the biggest at the Adelaide Test since the famous 1932-33 'bodyline' series.

Sutherland said there will be further meetings with Pakistan and South Africa representatives later this month. "We'll have meetings in Dubai (in January) with a lot of the chief executives and certainly will be talking to counterparts at Pakistan and South Africa," Sutherland said.

"They definitely know it (day-night Tests) will be on the agenda. The right place, right time and right conditions - we're going to see more Test cricket played in the evening."

AFP