Cricket fans pitch for twilight Test as Premier Peter Malinauskas calls for Adelaide cricket Test to be locked in for before Christmas

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South Australian cricket fans overwhelmingly support day-night Test cricket in Adelaide, and have backed Peter Malinauskas’s call for a permanent pre-Christmas clash at Adelaide Oval.

As the first Test between Australia and the West Indies got underway on Wednesday, Premier Malinauskas declared he wants Cricket Australia to bring back the annual December Test to Adelaide – nominating the weekend before Christmas as the ideal date.

His view was shared by a majority of cricket fans polled by The Advertiser during day one of the Test.

More than 60 per cent of 300 Oval patrons surveyed said they preferred a Test match in December, while more than 75 per cent wanted the clash to be played in day-night conditions.

Just over 20 per cent of people polled wanted a daytime Test and only three per cent said they wanted a mix of starting times.

The Adelaide Test has been scheduled for early or mid December for years until this year’s January anomaly, but Mr Malinauskas said later December would be a better fit.

“Later in December generally brings better weather on average than early December, which is better if it’s a day-night fixture,” Mr Malinauskas said on ABC radio at the lunch break of the first day’s play.

“But it also gives people a chance to travel from interstate as we start to get into that seasonal, festivity period.

“I support the concept of Christmas Test. It’s got to be against a premium side, rather than being relegated to the second team that comes.”

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“I think that would represent a good recognition from Cricket Australia that this is a state that turns up, is loyal to the sport and wants to grow Test cricket.”

Mr Malinauskas said the Adelaide Test had averaged a crowd of 116,000, a figure that was second only to Melbourne and larger than Sydney, which had a population four times as large.

He admitted it was unrealistic to pry the traditional New Year’s Test from Sydney but said his government would support an annual Christmas Test.

“We want more people from interstate being able to enjoy this unique environment and that’s something we will be willing to invest effort into,” he said.

Adelaide is locked in to host blockbuster mid-December Tests against India and England over the next two summers, with reports the SA Cricket Association is close to securing a further seven-year deal with Cricket Australia.

A SACA spokeswoman said CA is currently working with all states to negotiate a long-term deal for Test schedules going forward, but there is no timeline on when this will be completed.

SACA President Will Rayner said local members were among the “most passionate cricket fans in the world and deserve the best scheduling possible”.

“We love Test cricket in South Australia and the numbers speak for themselves when it comes to attendance, weather, pitch quality and so much more,” he said.

“We are excited to work with Cricket Australia to secure marquee Tests well into the future.”

More than 26,000 fans attended day one on Wednesday, which was the first day Test match at the Oval since 2018 against India.

Adelaide Oval has hosted seven day-night Test matches since the inaugural twilight Test between Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

The largely deserted eastern stand at Adelaide Oval ahead of Day 1 play of the Adelaide Test between Australia and West Indies on Wednesday. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Among the big crowd were on the hill were Jesse and Candice Catt, and their children Ned, 8, and Mack, 10, from Booborowie, 200km north of Adelaide.

The couple said they loved the atmosphere at the Test but would have preferred a day-night contest.

“It’s a long drive for us, about two hours, so we love the day-night (timeslot) – this is a bit early for us. We had to get up at about 8am to get here on time,” Mrs Catt said.

Lucas and Mark Tippins at the Adelaide Test match. Picture: Ben Clark

Mark Tippins and son Lucas, 11, were also soaking up the fun, relaxed vibe on the hill, dressing up as bananas for the day.

“My little man wanted to come along to the cricket and we thought we’d do something a bit special – it’s a real bonding experience,” said Mr Tippins, 52, of Edwardstown.

“It’s such a great day, the sun’s out and everyone’s having a great time.”

Mr Tippins said he was a “traditionalist” and would prefer a December Test match during the day, though admitted more people would probably attend a night clash.

Sisters Maggie and Bridget Cain, from Glenelg North, enjoyed a jug of Pimms in the packed Village Green area, in the members’ enclosure.

The siblings agreed that a day-night experience was ideal for fans, in particular those who have to work during the day.

“I’d certainly prefer a later start to the cricket, my boyfriend couldn’t come today because he had to work. It’s just better timing for everyone,” Bridget, 25, said.

Cricket fanatic Paul Higgs, 42, of Woodville Park, said the atmosphere at a day-night match was “unrivalled”.

“You can start your day later or come down after work, there’s always plenty of action happening,” he said. “That’s the beauty of it.”

The Adelaide day-night Test against the West Indies in December, 2022, drew 86,617 across three and a bit days.

Mr Malinauskas attacked Cricket Australia last month, calling the scheduling of Adelaide’s cricket Test – starting on a Wednesday in mid-January against the lowly West Indies – as “disgraceful”.

He said it was a “complete slap in the face from cricket authorities to the cricket-loving public of South Australia”.

“The fact that we get West Indies two summers in a row is frankly disgraceful, particularly given the deliberate decision to schedule Australia versus Pakistan, in Perth straight up over and above Adelaide,” he said.

“Cricket Australia have reaped what they sowed by showing contempt to South Australian cricket attendees with the results of the crowd they got in Perth.”