Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has confirmed that the board still plans to include a pink-ball Test during the 2029-30 men’s Ashes series, despite recent speculation suggesting the day-night format could be dropped. His remarks came as discussions around the future structure of the Ashes gained attention in recent weeks.

Speaking about the issue, Greenberg clarified that there has been no formal request from England to remove the pink-ball Test from the upcoming Ashes series scheduled for 2029-30. The day-night format has become an established part of Australia’s summer schedule and continues to attract strong interest from broadcasters and fans.

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“They haven’t requested it [to be dropped]. Pleasingly, we don’t play them here until 2029, so I’ve got a little bit of time to work this one out. It’s a part of our broadcast contracts. It’s clearly a big part of our summer [and] it clearly works here in this country,” Todd Greenberg, the CA CEO, told SEN radio.

Day-night Tests have been particularly successful in Australia, with Adelaide and Brisbane regularly hosting pink-ball matches. In the most recent Ashes series, the day-night Test was played in Brisbane, where Australia secured an eight-wicket victory over England.

England have struggled in pink-ball Tests in Australian conditions. The team has played four day-night Tests in Australia and has lost all of them by large margins.

Ahead of the Brisbane Test in the previous Ashes series, England star Joe Root had questioned whether a pink-ball match was necessary in an Ashes contest.

“I don’t think you need it in Ashes series. Absolutely not I don’t mind [pink-ball cricket]. I mean, I don’t think it’s as good as traditional Test cricket. But it’s in the schedule: we’ve got to play it, and just got to make sure we’re better than them at it… It’s clearly something that works here for Australia, and they enjoy it,” Root had said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Greenberg emphasized that the pink-ball format has been a major success for Cricket Australia and remains an important element of the country’s summer Test calendar. He also indicated that Cricket Australia would be willing to help England prepare better for day-night conditions if required.

“We’ve shown it works in Adelaide. It certainly worked last year in Brisbane. It’s our plan to continue at least one of those in a summer. If we need to work with our comrades at the ECB to help them prepare better or have practice matches, we’ll do all those sort of things. We’ll have that dialogue if and when needed,” he added.

When asked directly whether England should expect to play a pink-ball Test during their next Ashes tour of Australia, Greenberg made the board’s stance clear.

“That’s certainly our expectation, yes.”

Cricket Australia’s current broadcast agreement, which runs until 2031, includes a requirement to host at least one day-night Test each season. These matches have proven highly successful in terms of television viewership and attendance, making them a key part of Australia’s cricket schedule.

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