Day-night cricket was first played in November 1978, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in a one-day international between Australia and the West Indies.
Since then, hundreds of day-night matches have been played in the ODI and T20 format, but it took another 37 years for the timeslot to be played in Tests.
The first ever day-night Test was played in November 2016, between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval, with a total of ten having now been played: four in Australia, two in the UAE and one each in England, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies.
In the 2019-20 season, Australia is listed to play New Zealand in three Tests, including Boxing Day and New Year. This should be the first ever day-night series.
The matches would be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (26-30 December 2019), Sydney Cricket Ground (3-7 January 2020) and Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (11-15 January 2020).
The Gold Coast should be host instead of the Gabba, with Brisbane instead receiving an ODI and a a T20.
This is the prefect time for a day-night series and the best time for Melbourne and Sydney to host its first pink-ball fixtures.
Big Bash games should only be played on Days 4 and 5, with Days 1, 2 and 3 purely focused on Test cricket. Broadcasters Seven and Fox Sports would love this – it would be a ratings bonanza.
Australia is also listed to played two Tests against Pakistan in November 2019. I would have this increased to three Tests – the first played in Canberra, second in Perth and third in Adelaide. Canberra and Adelaide would be day games, with Perth a day-nighter.
So there would be a total of four day-night matches played in the Australian summer.
More day-night Tests needs to played in Australia and at different venues around the world. I’m not saying all Test matches should be under lights, but definitely the majority.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
The mammoth rise of Jake Fraser-McGurk - his enormous potential and the destructive shot-making that he possesses makes him a very tempting option.
Marcus Stoinis produced his first IPL century and it was a beauty. He went 6, 4, 4, 4 to finish off the Lucknow Super…
Xavier Bartlett has been permission to extend his cricketing education with a spell of T20s in England, playing in the Blast competition for Kent…
Three-Test spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has signed with Tasmania in a bid for red-ball game time ahead of Australia's tour of Sri Lanka next summer.…
Last week, you read about the Matt XI, a compilation of the best cricketers ever to represent the name Matt. And to be fair,…
The Aussie needed every centimetre of his height and reach to reel that one in!
