Australia likely to play first away day-night Test in West Indies

Australia is set to play its first-ever overseas Day-Night Test during their tour of the West Indies in June-July later this year, after the potential successful upgrade of floodlights at Sabina Park, Jamaica. Cricket West Indies (CWI) is confident in hosting the pink-ball contest, which will take place in the final match of the three-Test series. The decision to schedule this fixture came after the West Indies' historic victory over Australia in the last Day-Night Test at the Gabba.

The Aussies have long dominated the pink-ball format, winning 12 of their first 13 Day-Night Tests before suffering their first defeat against the West Indies in January 2024. Shamar Joseph’s brilliant spell of 7/68 in the final innings helped the visitors secure an eight-run victory, ending the home team's perfect record under lights. This time, the Caribbean side hopes to replicate their success but in home conditions.

According to the original schedule, the first two Tests in Barbados and Grenada will be played with the traditional red ball, while the third and final Test in Jamaica is set to be a Day-Night affair, provided the ground's lighting improvements are completed in time.

Sabina Park, once a premier cricketing venue in the Caribbean, has seen a decline in hosting international matches due to inadequate facilities. The Jamaica Cricket Association has admitted the stadium’s issues, particularly its outdated lighting system.

However, a government-funded initiative worth JMD 75 million (AUD 763,000) looks to rectify this, ensuring that the lights meet international standards for hosting night games. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) has shown interest in participating in the Day-Night Test and are excited to lock horns with the Caribbean side for the historic Test.

"We're open to it. We're awaiting further information from Cricket West Indies about the successful installation of the new lights at Sabina Park. But we encourage teams to play day-night cricket here in Australia once a season so when an opportunity to reciprocate comes up, we are very supportive. The planned lighting specifications look more than adequate to host day-night Test cricket and provided these are met then CWI and CA are aligned on playing the match as a day-night Test," Cricket Australia's scheduling and operations boss Peter Roach told cricket.com.au. 

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CWI chief executive Chris Dehring mentioned the benefits of scheduling a Day-Night Test, citing the global viewership and financial sustainability.

"The Australians have agreed for it to be a day-night Test match. It is of course subject to the new lighting system that's being implemented at Sabina Park is finished in time and to specification. We have in place a strong monitoring and support system to help the Jamaica Cricket Association and the Jamaican government to achieve this. If memory serves me right, the last time we beat Australia, it was a day-night Test match," said Dehring.