Get used to pink-ball Tests, says Kiwi boss

Players and traditionalists need to accept pink-ball Tests or the five-day format will not survive, New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White warned today.

Australia and New Zealand played the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide last year, attracting huge crowds to rival those at limited-overs versions of the game.

But players from both sides complained about the pink ball, intended to be more visible under floodlights, and some conservatives felt it undermined a Test tradition dating back to 1877. White said there was strong enthusiasm for more day-night Tests at a meeting of the International Cricket Council board in Dubai last weekend. He said there was also a groundswell of support from fans and television broadcasters, expressing confidence that players would eventually come around. “I think the players will be very supportive going forward, (day-night Test cricket) is essential for the survival of the format, to be honest,” he told Radio Sport.

White said day-nighters would never dominate Test cricket but he could envisage a time when most series included a match played under lights.

“It provides an opportunity for the game to be more accessible to the fans and we’ve got to listen to them, they drive the revenue, they drive the game,” he said. “We’ve got to uphold the traditions of the game -- I’m as traditional as anyone -- but we’ve got to look to the future as well.” Players raised concerns after the Adelaide Test about the pink ball’s movement and durability, as well as the difficulty batsmen faced seeing it under lights.