Eden Park not in pink
The chances of Eden Park hosting another pink ball cricket test seem remote — but expect more of them in New Zealand in the coming seasons.
Although it had plenty going for it — ball visibility, activities around it for young fans, good conditions — the cost of playing a five-dayer at Eden Park is prohibitive.
“In terms of the future viability of Eden Park, it is a bit of a challenge for us,” New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said.
Next season the likelihood is New Zealand hosting five tests, three against Bangladesh and two against Sri Lanka. One of them is tipped to be a pink ball test, but at a smaller venue, with Mt Maunganui’s Bay Oval the leading candidate given its outstanding lighting capability.
White said there had been much to enjoy about the Eden Park experience but two days lost to rain were a tough blow to absorb, even though New Zealand won the match in the final session on day five.
Lighting at Eden Park isn’t the issue; it’s more about peripherals such as security, traffic control and cleaning the large concrete cavern. The Eden Park Trust Board can’t do deals to trim those costs as it’s leaking money as it is.
“The concept [of day-night tests] is good and it’s got its place in the future of test cricket, no question of that,” White said.
New Zealand’s inaugural home pink ball test was the ninth played worldwide. All nine have produced wins, most finishing inside four days.
Western Springs has been mooted as a future base for test cricket in Auckland but that is within a larger reconfiguration of which sports are played where under discussion at Auckland council level. White said NZC were “very open” to discussions about a dedicated cricket ground in Auckland.