Cricket South Africa to host its first pink ball day/night match

Cape Town (ANI): Cricket South Africa (CSA) will make history when it hosts its first pink ball day/night match in first-class conditions at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom. The match will take place between the North West Dragons and the Knights.

The match however, will not be granted first class status and will take place from September 3 to 6. Play will start at 14:30 on day one and the original scheduled cessation time will be 21:00.

Players will wear normal first-class kit (white or cream) but will play with the new improved, Kookaburra Turf Pink Balls and use black sightscreens.

“This trial match is a result of our commitment to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to test the feasibility of first-class day/night cricket under South African climatic conditions,” commented CSA Acting CEO Jacques Faul told Sport24.

“The match referee, in consultation with his team of match officials, the coaches and the captains, will then compile an extensive, detailed report on the match and submit it to CSA. It will then be forwarded on receipt to the ICC with the feedback.”

CSA will also be changing the lunch and tea intervals in all first-class cricket this season (both the four-day domestic series and the CSA three-day competition, including the CSA U19 three-day matches) in terms of the ICC’s new draft Standard Test Playing Conditions.

This allows for the lunch interval to remain at 40 minutes and the tea interval at 20 minutes or to have two intervals of 30 minutes each. CSA will be using the latter option of 30 minutes for each interval.

This new initiative of the two 30-minute intervals will be utilised in this match with the remainder of the playing conditions as per last season being applicable to this format.