Australia’s cricket team leader, Pat Cummins, supports Adelaide Oval as the preferred location for playing day-night Test matches with a pink ball. This year, Adelaide Oval will be the venue for the day-night Test match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between Australia and India.
Australia has never lost a day-night Test match at this venue, beginning with the match against New Zealand in 2015. “Adelaide does day-night Tests really well. The key point that players often mention, and it’s very consistent, is that the conditions must be suitable for a pink-ball Test.”
“Pink-ball Test matches can be a great mix of batting and bowling, or they can be very dull if the conditions aren’t right. Adelaide has always done a good job with this, so if they change the location, as long as the conditions are right, it shouldn’t be much different.”
“If the pink ball becomes too soft, it’s like a one-day ball and can become very gentle. It behaves a bit differently than a red ball. As I mentioned, Adelaide has always gotten it right every year,” Cummins said to reporters during the launch of CA’s Play Cricket Week in Sydney on Monday.
The Adelaide Oval was the location where India were dismissed for only 36 in the second innings during the day-night Test match against Australia, leading to a loss by eight wickets in December 2020.
This year, the Gabba in Brisbane held the day-night Test between Australia and the West Indies. The West Indies won dramatically by eight runs, thanks to Shamar Joseph’s impressive bowling figures of 7-68. The Gabba will also be the site for next year’s day-night Test during the Ashes series.
When asked if there should be a specific venue for day-night Tests each summer, Cummins commented, “It’s better for home advantage if the schedule has some unpredictability. However, having a consistent venue could help the ground staff, which might be beneficial.”
Download the CricInformer app
Take CricInformer with you. Get our app for cricket news and updates on your phone.