Day/night Tests are set to be scrapped from future Ashes series after talks between Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The Daily Mail reported that the ECB are firmly against pink ball encounters continuing to feature on the Ashes schedule, believing a series of such magnitude does not need them.
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That stance echoes Joe Root’s comments before the Gabba Test in December, where he scored his first Test century on Australian soil under lights.
With both nation’s having to agree to day/night matches being included in future tours, Australia’s hands are tied.
Pink ball Tests have been a regular down under since 2015 and have been a part of the last three Ashes series on these shores with floodlit Tests played in Adelaide, Hobart and Brisbane with Australia winning each of the four clashes.
Broadcasters are big fans of day/night affairs with most of the day’s play taking place in prime time viewing hours.
While it also helps to boost attendance for Tests played before the summer holidays when fans are still at work.
The oddity of the situation is that in a little more than 12 months time, England will return to Australia to play the 150th anniversary Test, under lights with the pink ball at the MCG.
That celebratory Test match not being played with a red ball in day light has drawn criticism from the likes of former Australian player and coach Darren Lehmann.
But Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg said the decision was made with packing out the MCG in mind.
“The 150th Anniversary Test at the MCG will be one of the great cricket events and playing under lights will be a fantastic way to celebrate both our game’s rich heritage and Test cricket’s modern evolution,” he said.
“It will also help ensure more people are able to attend and watch what will be a fantastic occasion.”
The talks between the two rivals have also delivered better preparation for England than they had before their 4-1 defeat in the Ashes just gone – where they played a three-day game against the England Lions at Perth’s Lilac Hill.
Ben Stokes’ side are tipped to play a warm-up game at Melbourne’s Junction Oval under the newly installed lights against local opposition.
When they return in 2029, England will be offered a first-class game at either the WACA or Allan Border Field depending on if the series starts in Perth or Brisbane.
On the flip side, Australia will play a first-class match against either the England Lions or a county combination team before the next series in England in 2027.
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