Day-night matches return to the Sheffield Shield for the first time in seven years

The pink Kookaburra will return to the Sheffield Shield this summer for the first time in seven years as Cricket Australia prepares the nation’s next crop of Test stars for the challenges of day-night cricket.

The pink Kookaburra will return to the Sheffield Shield this summer for the first time in seven years as Cricket Australia prepares the nation’s next crop of Test stars for the challenges of day-night cricket.

On Friday morning, CA confirmed that each of the six states will play a day-night fixture during this season’s Sheffield Shield, with matches in Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart going under lights.

South Australia will host reigning champions Western Australia at Adelaide Oval while Queensland will take on Victoria at the Gabba for pink-ball contests in late November before New South Wales faces Tasmania at Bellerive Oval for a day-night match in March.

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There was at least one day-night round in the Sheffield Shield from 2013/14 to 2017/18, but pink-ball matches have only been scheduled for Australia A and Prime Minister’s XI fixtures in the years since.

However, after West Indies quick Shamar Joseph manufactured a remarkable eight-run victory over Australia at the Gabba last summer, CA acknowledged the need to expose domestic cricketers to the pink Kookaburra under lights.

Steve Smith of Australia. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“We are always exploring opportunities to further enhance the experience for domestic players and best-prepare them for the challenges of international cricket,” Ben Oliver, CA’s Executive General Manager of National Teams, said in a statement.

“Playing first-class matches at Test venues is important, and so too is exposure to day-night conditions which have become a feature of the Australian Test summer over the past decade.

“With that in mind, we felt it was the right time to re-introduce day-night Sheffield Shield matches for our next group of international cricketers.

“We thank all stakeholders for their support in making this initiative possible in the current season.”

Australia has hosted 12 day-night men’s Tests over the past decade, including matches at Adelaide Oval, Perth Stadium, the Gabba and Bellerive Oval. But after winning 11 consecutive pink-ball Tests, Joseph ended Australia’s undefeated record in January.

Adelaide Oval will host this summer’s day-night Test between Australia and India, which gets underway on December 6, while next season’s pink-ball Ashes contest will take place at the Gabba. Meanwhile, India will play a two-day match against the Prime Minister’s XI under lights at Canberra’s Manuka Oval in early December.

Sheffield Shield day-night matches

November 23-26 – South Australia vs Western Australia at Adelaide Oval

November 24-27 – Queensland vs Victoria at the Gabba

March 15-18 – Tasmania vs New South Wales at Bellerive Oval

Originally published as Day-night matches return to the Sheffield Shield for the first time in seven years