Cricket West Indies officials are optimistic that Sabina Park in Jamaica will host its first-ever day-night Test when Australia visit for the third match of their series in July. Ticket sales for the series have already begun, with the third Test scheduled as a day-night fixture starting at 1:30 PM local time. However, the match being played under lights depends on the completion of necessary upgrades to the floodlighting system to meet international standards.
Sabina Park has never hosted a day-night international match due to inadequate lighting. Cricket Australia has backed the idea of a pink-ball Test, and officials are set to inspect the venue this month as part of their pre-tour assessment. Australia have never played a day-night Test overseas.
Australia Agrees To play D/N Test
“The Australians have agreed for it to be a day-night Test match. It is of course subject to the new lighting system that’s being implemented at Sabina Park, that it is finished in time and of course to specification,” Cricket West Indies official Chris Dehring said at a press conference, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
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“We have in place a very strong monitoring and support system to help the Jamaica Cricket Association and the Jamaican government achieve this. We are certainly looking forward to hosting the very first day-night match.”
Jamaica Cricket Association President Dr. Donovan Bennett had earlier mentioned that the lights were expected to be installed by January, but delays affected the timeline.
“We are supposed to get the lights from our local supplier who will source them from a manufacturer in England,” Bennett told Sportsmax in February. “There were some technical challenges because while we could have gotten cheaper lights from China, they were too heavy for the existing stands at Sabina Park. The wind forces on the pylons would have been a major issue.”
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West Indies previously hosted a pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka in Barbados in 2018. Last year, they stunned Australia with a memorable day-night victory at the Gabba, led by Shamar Joseph.
“First and foremost, I do recall, if memory serves me right, the last time we beat Australia, it was a day-night Test,” Dehring added. “So it’s a maybe superficial example to use, but maybe it’s just a good omen.”
The series will mark the beginning of the 2025-2027 World Test Championship cycle for both teams. Australia will arrive in the Caribbean after playing South Africa in the final of the current cycle at Lord’s in June.
Australia Tour Of West Indies 2025 Schedule
- First Test: June 25-29, Bridgetown, Barbados
- Second Test: July 3-7, St George’s, Grenada
- Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica
- First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica
- Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica
- Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts
- Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts
- Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts
