A night out at the Test match?

Night cricket ... has been given the green light by the ICC. Source: Phil Hillyard / News Limited

Test matches at night are inevitable at Australian cricket grounds as soon as a suitable ball is found, following clearance from the International Cricket Council.

Cricket Australia says day-night Tests Down Under are inevitable. Great idea or should they leave Tests alone?

The ICC has ruled Test-match-participating countries may now agree to day/night Tests and will be able to decide on the hours of play as well as the brand, type and colour of ball to be used.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland welcomed the ruling, although a poll of more than 100 Australian players undertaken by the players' union last year found only 40 percent supported a move to day-nighters.

"Test cricket is by definition played on at least three week days, times when most people are at work or school, and this limits the ability of fans to attend or watch on TV," Sutherland said.

"We limit ourselves by staging cricket's premium format at times when fans often cannot watch. We know that the audience for the Perth Test, which is on TV in the evening on the east coast, is up significantly because fans in the East can tune in after work.

"CA has a formal strategic plan that demands that Australian cricket puts fans first and we will now add day/night Tests to the agenda when we talk to other Test nations about their future tours down under."

Sutherland says elite cricket's short formats had shown that batsmen could make big scores under lights.

"Finding a Test ball that is as easily visible in the day as it is at night is still a technical work in progress that the ICC is now leading and it has not yet been possible to predict when such a ball might be available.

"The traditional red ball is not regarded as suitable for night cricket because it is not as visible at night as it is in the day, and the ODI white ball is not suitable for Tests as it is not as durable as the red ball and does not last as well as a Test ball needs to last.

"Experiments with other colours such as pink, orange and yellow have seen some promising developments in recent times and Cricket Australia will, together with the ICC and ball manufacturers, continue to encourage research and development that delivers a ball with the optimal colour and durability for Test cricket."