First Day-Night Test Match Ever Played

Day/ Night Test Cricket is an event we are used to. Nothing can equal the excitement of their country
playing such a match under floodlights. More important was the match, which set off the trend
successfully.

The World of Cricket saw the birth of yet another coloured cricket ball. Pink! The colour became so
popular that it became synonymous with the event being un- officially renamed the ” Pink- Ball Test!

The first ever Pink Ball Test was hosted by Australia at Adelaide Oval on November 27th 2015. The
opponents were New- Zealand, and it was the final test of the three-Test series. The match was indeed a
see-saw battle of sorts.

The Kiwis won the toss and chose to bat in a suspense-filled aura. Suspense because none knew
precisely how much the Pink Ball would swing compared to the Red or White ball. And swing it did.

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Stark bowled with an excellent economy and never allowed partnerships
to flourish. With Guptill exiting early, Tom Latham and Williamson held the fort. A fifty-plus partnership
was brought to an end with Williamson falling. Latham made a half-century with Ross Taylor supporting
him from the other end. Then the collapse started after Latham exited.
The Kiwis were all out for 202, with all four Aussie bowlers sharing the spoils. The Australian batters
were no better as they succumbed to the Kiwi bowlers, and it was Steven Smith first, followed by Peter
Neville, who played a superb knock to save their team from embarrassment.Australia wound up their
innings with just a meagre 22-run lead.

With first innings honours almost equal, the Kiwis did no better than their first innings. The debutant all-
rounder Mitchell Santner scored maximum, with the other batters struggling. Josh Hazlewood made the
Kiwis take flight with a six-wicket haul, and the Kiwis edged past the 200 mark, thus setting up a target
of just 187 for the Aussies.

It was Trent ‘ Lightning ‘ Boult who struck down the Aussies. Shaun Marsh refused to go down, and his
49, along with some valuable contributions from Adam Vogues and Mitchell Marsh, helped the
struggling Aussies cross the line with just three wickets to spare.

The encounter was over within three days, with Hazlewood crowned Man of the Match. Australia also
won the series 2- 0.

Bottom line:
The pink ball could have swung the result either way. Had the Kiwis posted 25 runs more, the Aussies
would have struggled more and perhaps been defeated.

Score Summary:
New Zealand First Innings Australia First Innings
202 all out. 224 All Out
Tom Latham – 50 Steven Smith- 53
Peter Nevill-66
Australia Bowling New Zealand Bowling
Mitchell Starc- 3 For 24 Douglas Bracewell- 3 For 18
Josh Hazlewood- 3 For 66

New Zealand Second Innings Australia Second Innings
Mitchell Santner-45 Shaun Marsh-49
Australia Bowling New Zealand Bowling

Josh Hazlewood- 6 For 70 Trent Boult- 5 For 60