Australian players want only one day-night Test
Friday 29 April 2016 10:05, UK
Cricket Australia's plan to stage two day-night Test matches this winter has hit another hitch after the players' association sought a limit of one.
The initial schedule proposed the third Test between Australia and South Africa in November at Adelaide - the venue for the only previous pink-ball Test - and the series-opener against Pakistan in Brisbane in December be day-night matches.
South African players and officials have so far resisted the idea, although Pakistan have committed to playing their day-night match.
Australian Cricketers' Association chief executive Alistair Nicholson said: "The feedback we are receiving from our playing group is that there still remain concerns over day-night Tests.
"While there is acknowledgement that this format may grow the game, at this stage, the players would prefer to only play one day-night Test in 2016-17."
Australia beat New Zealand in a low-scoring day-night Test in Adelaide last year and, while TV ratings and crowd numbers made it a financial success, the players struggled to come to terms with the pink ball designed specifically for the format.
"Pink-ball Tests are a fundamentally different game to traditional red-ball Test matches," Nicholson said.
"We continue to be concerned about the durability and visibility of the pink ball, both the changing light conditions and the specifically prepared pitches are altering the conditions that the players are used to at each venue."
