Cricket Australia has insisted it is still planning for the next men’s Ashes series in 2029-30 to include a pink-ball Test despite recent reports that it has already been decided a day-night fixture won’t take place.
CA’s current broadcast deal which runs until 2031 includes the agreement to stage one day-night Test per season with them being a huge success for viewership figures.
In the recent Ashes, the day-night Test was held in Brisbane with Australia winning by eight wickets. Overall England have played four in Australia, losing all of them by significant margins, and during this season’s tour Joe Root questioned whether they needed to be part of an Ashes given interest levels are always so high.
“They haven’t requested it [to be dropped],” Todd Greenberg, the CA CEO, told SEN radio when asked about the reports of the future of pink-ball Ashes Tests “Pleasingly, we don’t play them here until 2029, so I’ve got a little bit of time to work this one out. It’s a part of our broadcast contracts. It’s clearly a big part of our summer [and] it clearly works here in this country.
“We’ve shown it works in Adelaide. It certainly worked last year in Brisbane. It’s our plan to continue at least one of those in a summer. If we need to work with our comrades at the ECB to help them prepare better or have practice matches, we’ll do all those sort of things. We’ll have that dialogue if and when needed.”
Pressed on whether England should expect to play a pink-ball game on their next Ashes tour, Greenberg added: “That’s certainly our expectation, yes.”
Greenberg was speaking to mark one year to go until the 150th anniversary Test against England which will be played with the pink ball at the MCG next March. CA ran their first ever ticket ballot for the match and are expecting 90,000-plus crowds across at least the first three days. Remaining public tickets for days three and four went on sale on Wednesday.
Staging a game that honours the history of the format as a day-nighter has attracted criticism and though it was a decision made before Greenberg took his role at CA, he does not believe it will detract from the occasion.
“I think the ticket sales send us a very strong message that people will turn up,” Greenberg said. “It’s clearly a better time zone for those in England to be able to watch it on broadcast. It’s not school holidays at that period of time, so I am hoping that kids and families can finish their days at school and leave work early and be at the ground.
“It’s also a bit of a nod to say we’re at 150 years of Australia and England Test matches, and we’ve got to continue to challenge ourselves and evolve.
“I’m not suggesting for one minute that every Test match should be a pink ball game, but pink ball has a place to play in this country. Anyone who is against it just needs to look through the prism of we’ll have double the amount of people watching a particular session than we ordinarily do, and you can’t turn away from that.”
CA will be inviting every living player from the 1977 Centenary Test to attend next year as well as every living Australia and England captain along with Hall of Fame Members.
An invite has also been extended to King Charles to attend after Queen Elizabeth visited during the 1977 Test. However, the plan would be to ensure any royal involvement takes place earlier than that occasion when the Queen was presented to players at tea on day five. This season’s Ashes Test was over inside two days, leaving intense scrutiny on the MCG pitch.
“I think if we’re fortunate enough to have the King, who has been invited, that we might bring his presentation to players slightly earlier in the match, maybe not leaving it till the last session on day five,” Greenberg said. “That could be floating with danger, I would think.”
