Cricket Australia Insists on Pink-Ball Test for 2029-30 Ashes Series

During the most recent Ashes series in Australia, the day-night Test was staged in Brisbane, where the hosts secured an eight-wicket victory. England's record in such matches on Australian soil remains poor; they have played four pink-ball Tests there and lost each by sizeable margins. Earlier this season, England batter Joe Root even questioned whether a day-night Test was necessary during an Ashes series, given the traditionally high interest surrounding the contest.

Despite the debate, CA chief executive Todd Greenberg said there had been no formal request from England to remove the format from the series.

"They haven't requested it (to be dropped). Pleasingly, we don't play them here until 2029, so I've got a little bit of time to work this one out. It's a part of our broadcast contracts. It's clearly a big part of our summer (and) it clearly works here in this country," Greenberg told SEN radio.

"We've shown it works in Adelaide. It certainly worked last year in Brisbane. It's our plan to continue at least one of those in a summer. If we need to work with our comrades at the ECB to help them prepare better or have practice matches, we'll do all those sort of things. We'll have that dialogue if and when needed," he added.

The governing body's current broadcast agreement, which runs through 2031, requires at least one pink-ball Test each Australian summer. These matches have consistently drawn strong television audiences, making them a key feature of the domestic Test schedule.

Asked whether England should expect to encounter another pink-ball Test on their next Ashes tour of Australia, Greenberg made the board's position clear, stating, "That's certainly our expectation, yes."

Greenberg made the remarks while marking the countdown to the 150th anniversary Test between Australia and England, scheduled for next March at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The historic match will also be played with the pink ball.

Interest in the occasion has already been significant. Cricket Australia launched its first-ever ticket ballot for the event and expects crowds exceeding 90,000 across the opening three days. Although some critics have questioned the decision to commemorate such a historic milestone with a day-night Test, Greenberg believes the format will enhance rather than diminish the event's appeal.

"I think the ticket sales send us a very strong message that people will turn up. It's clearly a better time zone for those in England to be able to watch it on broadcast. It's not school holidays at that period of time, so I am hoping that kids and families can finish their days at school and leave work early and be at the ground," he said.

"It's also a bit of a nod to say we're at 150 years of Australia and England Test matches, and we've got to continue to challenge ourselves and evolve. I'm not suggesting for one minute that every Test match should be a pink ball game, but pink balls have a place to play in this country. Anyone who is against it just needs to look through the prism of we'll have double the amount of people watching a particular session than we ordinarily do, and you can't turn away from that," Greenberg added.

- IANS