Edgbaston in Birmingham has been selected by cricket’s governing body to host the first ever day/night Test Match in England.
The match against the West Indies – which will be the 50th Test Match to occur at the ground – will take place from 17-21 August 2017, and is being billed as an opportunity to attract “different fans and families to Test cricket”.
“It’s a great opportunity to attract more fans to the game and see how staging Test cricket in the afternoon and evening fits with working patterns and modern lifestyles, while maintaining the deep tradition of Test match cricket,” said the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Tom Harrison.
Played between the hours of 2pm and 9pm, the matches will use the pink Dukes ball for visibility.
Neil Snowball, chief executive of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said he was “thrilled” that Edgbaston had been chosen as the first venue to host the new format.
“Edgbaston staged the UK’s first day/night domestic match in 1997 and has a great history of hosting and selling out some of the biggest fixture in the game,” he added. “In turn, the Edgbaston atmosphere and match day experience has become iconic, with England having a fantastic record of victories here.”
The first ever day/night Test Match was contested by Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide in November 2015.
