SYDNEY: Day-night Test matches will return to the calendar in the upcoming Australian summer as Pakistan have agreed to Cricket Australia’s wishes.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Pakistan and Australia’s second Test at Adelaide will be the first of two consecutive pink ball games, with the second being the series opener between Australia and New Zealand in Perth.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and CA have spoken about this in great detail, and but could not find space in the tightly packed calendar for a third Test. The tour also features three Twenty20 Internationals.

Pakistan agreeing to the demands and wishes of Australia will bring them some relief after they were forced into changing their plans and embark on a tour for the first time in 40 years to accommodate an ODI series in India.

“The dialogue between CA and the PCB was around what we would need to do to make that tour happen,” PCB managing director Wasim Khan told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“We also know there’s a lot of bilateral cricket to be played before that. We need to continue to evidence security measures we can put in place. All things being well we can pick up dialogue in early 2022.”

According to the PCB, the delay in agreeing to play the day-night Test has nothing to do with a possible Australian visit to their shores, scheduled for 2022, but more so that they could ensure they would be ready for the Pink ball Test.

Pakistan are expected to play two tour games as part of the preparations and are also hoping their players can land contracts with first-grade clubs in Perth through coach Mickey Arthur, who lives in the Western Australia capital.

The governing body is close to finalising its fixture list for the 2019-20 season with an announcement tipped to come in the next fortnight.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2019