Day-night Test is the future of cricket’s longest format but the boards should not rush it, according to New Zealand pace great Richard Hadlee.
Australia played the first day-night Test against New Zealand at Adelaide Oval last November and have agreed another floodlit match with South Africa at the same venue during the home summer.
The concept has found ready takers in south Asia with India trialling pink balls and Pakistan agreeing to play a floodlit Test in Brisbane in December.
“You try, it is the game of the future. Probably one Test in a series is fair enough,” Hadlee told reporters in Mumbai.
“I think most people like to see the traditional format during the day.” The durability of the pink kookaburra ball and the dew factor in India have raised doubts about the future of a floodlit Test in the country.
Hadlee said the players must get ample practice before such a contest.
“It is important for the players to have practice games; you cannot ask them to go out there and ask them to play a day-night game against the pink ball.
“It is unrealistic in professional environment era. That needs to be tried and tested, so players can get some confidence.
“Conditions are different all around the world, so we don’t really know how the pink ball is going to work here in India and that’s why players need to have those practice games,” he added.