Cricket: Pink Friday first of many to come

"This test is a great example of what we're trying to do" Chief Executive Officer of Cricket Australia James Sutherland. Photo / Getty Images

For some fans, day-night test cricket will never feel right.

One-day and Twenty20 internationals? Absolutely. Made for night viewing, but tests, the purest version of the game? That's a different story, they'll say.

Bad news, I'm afraid.

Expect more pink ball matches, if not a flood, then a steady trickle.

That will be even if the live experience can be , depending on the condition of the ball, far from ideal.

Going to the cricket should not be about watching the body movements of batsmen, bowlers and fielders to find out what has just happened.

The pink ball is a work in progress but one point to note out of the first day: there were no issues with its quality.

Compare that to the shambles with the red balls in Brisbane and especially Perth.

Cricket Australia have been the driving force in day-night tests. New Zealand Cricket have been their ally.

Yes, there have been tradeoffs in terms of more matches against Australia, and there's a pot of cash as an extra lure to persuade the players that this is worth trying.

There are a pile of other ideas being aired, as a spinoff to the inaugural day-nighter. This is good.

Whether the suggestions are smart and thoughtful or at the barmy end of the spectrum, at least it has us thinking of the possibilities.

"This test is a great example of what we're trying to do," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said yesterday.

"It's got a Melbourne Spring [racing] carnival type atmosphere about it. It is a major event which brings people to the cricket.

"This is a game changer. It's all about the fans and making cricket accessible to them."

Expect NZC to host a pink-ball test sooner rather than later.

There are plenty of issues to work through, including the time of year, best location and preferred opposition.

Eden Park, Hamilton's Seddon Park and Napier's McLean Park are the only candidates in the frame to host one at present.

Indeed, Seddon Park groundsman Karl Johnson has been in Adelaide checking out the pitch and getting an idea of how it is playing out.

It seems a case of when, not if, New Zealand will host a day-night test.

They won't, and shouldn't, take over as the primary way of playing and watching tests. But they are coming.