The second Test between India and Bangladesh at Kolkata's Eden Gardens will be the first day-night Test on Indian soil, making India the seventh country to host a day-night Test.
Rajneesh Gupta brings all the numbers from the 11 day-night Tests played so far.
The second Test between India and Bangladesh at Kolkata's Eden Gardens will be the first day-night Test for both India and Bangladesh.
It will also be the first Day-Night Test on Indian soil, making India the seventh country to host a day-night Test.
The first day-night Test was played at the Adelaide Oval between Australia and New Zealand from November 27 to 29, 2015, 138 years after the inception of Test cricket.
With the dwindling crowds for Tests, cricket administrators felt that day-night matches are the way forward to attract fans back to the grounds.
In October 2012, the International Cricket Council, the game's world governing body, gave the green signal to play day-night Tests with coloured balls.
The biggest challenge for day-night Tests was the kind of ball to be used.
The traditional red ball used in Test cricket is very difficult to spot at night and the white ball -- that is used in shorter formats of the game -- becomes discoloured quite soon, making it difficult for batsmen to pick it out.
After a lot of experimentation, the cricket authorities settled with the pink ball, which is highly visible under floodlights and allows the players still to wear whites.
The Kolkata Test will be the 12th day-night Test in the game's history.
While the jury is still out about the popularity of this format, one thing that should interest connoisseurs is the fact that every day-night Test played so far has produced a result.
Day-Night Tests in each country
| Hosts | Day-night Tests |
|---|---|
| Australia | 5 |
| UAE | 2 |
| England | 1 |
| South Africa | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| West Indies | 1 |
Day-Night Test results
| Year | Venue | Teams | Toss | Result | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Adelaide | Aus v NZ | NZ (Bat) | Aus won by 3 wickets | 3 days |
| 2016 | Dubai | Pak v WI | Pak (Bat) | Pak won by 56 runs | 5 days |
| 2016 | Adelaide | Aus v SA | SA (Bat) | Aus won by 7 wickets | 4 days |
| 2016 | Brisbane | Aus v Pak | Aus (Bat) | Aus won by 39 runs | 5 days |
| 2017 | Birmingham | Eng v WI | Eng (Bat) | Eng won by innings and 209 runs | 3 days |
| 2017 | Dubai | Pak v SL | SL (Bat) | SL won by 68 runs | 5 days |
| 2017 | Adelaide | Aus v Eng | Eng (Field) | Aus won by 120 runs | 5 days |
| 2017 | Port Elizabeth | SA v Zim | SA (Bat) | SA won by innings and 120 runs | 2 days |
| 2018 | Auckland | NZ v Eng | NZ (Field) | NZ won by innings and 49 runs | 5 days |
| 2018 | Bridgetown | WI v SL | WI (Bat) | SL won by 4 wickets | 4 days |
| 2019 | Brisbane | Aus v SL | SL (Bat) | Aus won by innings and 40 runs | 3 days |
Result summary of Day-Night Tests
| Team | Mts | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.66 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| South Africa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| England | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| West Indies | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 |
The toss-winning captains have opted to bat first on most occasions in day-night Tests -- 9 out of 11, winning 56% of times.
Of the only two occasions -- when toss-winning captains opted to bowl first -- one ended in their favour and one against them.
Toss impact in Day-Night Tests
| Mts | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win the toss & bat first | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 55.55 |
| Win the toss & bowl first | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
This is what has been the average score in each innings of a day-night Test.
Average Score in Day-Night Tests
| Inns | Score |
|---|---|
| 1st | 329 |
| 2nd | 249 |
Of the 11 day-night Tests played so far, only five have gone in to the fifth day.
Two Tests have finished in four days, three in three days and one in two days.
Pacers tend to enjoy the conditions more than spinners in the day-night Tests.
Not only have they taken the lion's share of wickets to fall, but their average, strike-rate and economy all are better than the spinners.
Pace vs Spin in Day-Night Tests
| Wkts | Avg | SR | RPO | Best | 5WI | 10WM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pace | 257 | 25.22 | 51.86 | 2.91 | 6/23 | 9 | 1 |
| Spin | 95 | 31.87 | 60.48 | 3.16 | 8/49 | 5 | 1 |
Highest Totals in Day-Night Tests
| Score | Overs | For | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 579/3d | 155.3 | Pakistan | West Indies | Dubai | 2016 |
| 514/8d | 135.5 | England | West Indies | Birmingham | 2017 |
| 482 | 159.2 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Dubai | 2017 |
| 450 | 145 | Pakistan | Australia | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 442/8d | 149 | Australia | England | Adelaide | 2017 |
| 429 | 130.1 | Australia | Pakistan | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 427/8d | 141 | New Zealand | England | Auckland | 2018 |
Lowest Totals in Day-Night Tests
| Score | Overs | Team | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 20.4 | England | New Zealand | Auckland | 2018 |
| 68 | 30.1 | Zimbabwe | South Africa | Port Elizabeth | 2017 |
| 93 | 31.2 | West Indies | Sri Lanka | Bridgetown | 2018 |
| 96 | 26 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Dubai | 2017 |
| 121 | 42.3 | Zimbabwe | South Africa | Port Elizabeth | 2017 |
| 123 | 31.5 | Pakistan | West Indies | Dubai | 2016 |
Individual Hundreds: 16
1st innings: 9
2nd innings: 3
3rd innings: 1
4th innings: 3
Highest Individual Scores in Day-Night Tests
| Score | Name | For | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 302* | Azhar Ali | Pakistan | West Indies | Dubai | 2016 |
| 243 | Alistair Cook | England | West Indies | Birmingham | 2017 |
| 196 | Dimuth Karunaratne | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Dubai | 2017 |
| 145* | Henry Nicholls | New Zealand | England | Auckland | 2018 |
| 145 | Usman Khawaja | Australia | South Africa | Adelaide | 2016 |
| 137 | Asad Shafiq | Pakistan | Australia | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 136 | Joe Root | England | West Indies | Birmingham | 2017 |
| 130 | Steve Smith | Australia | Pakistan | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 126* | Shaun Marsh | Australia | England | Adelaide | 2017 |
| 125 | Aiden Markram | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Port Elizabeth | 2017 |
| 118* | Faf du Plessis | South Africa | Australia | Adelaide | 2016 |
| 116 | Darren Bravo | West Indies | Pakistan | Dubai | 2016 |
| 112 | Asad Shafiq | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Dubai | 2017 |
| 105 | Peter Handscomb | Australia | Pakistan | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 104 | Stephen Cook | South Africa | Australia | Adelaide | 2016 |
| 102 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | England | Auckland | 2018 |
Record Partnership for each wicket
| Wkt | Runs | Batsmen 1 | Batsmen 2 | For | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 215 | Sami Aslam | Azhar Ali | Pak | WI | Dubai | 2016 |
| 2 | 137 | Azhar Ali | Asad Shafiq | Pak | WI | Dubai | 2016 |
| 3 | 248 | Alistair Cook | Joe Root | Eng | WI | Birmingham | 2017 |
| 4 | 172 | Steve Smith | Peter Handscomb | Aus | Pak | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 5 | 166 | Marnus Labuschagne | Travis Head | Aus | SL | Brisbane | 2019 |
| 6 | 173 | Asad Shafiq | Sarfraz Ahmed | Pak | SL | Dubai | 2017 |
| 7 | 92 | Asad Shafiq | Mohammad Aamer | Pak | Aus | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 8 | 99 | Shaun Marsh | Pat Cummins | Aus | Eng | Adelaide | 2017 |
| 9 | 74 | Peter Nevill | Nathan Lyon | Aus | NZ | Adelaide | 2015 |
| 10 | 49 | Nathan Lyon | Jackson Bird | Aus | Pak | Brisbane | 2016 |
Highest Partnerships
| Runs | Wkt | Batsmen 1 | Batsmen 2 | For | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 248 | 3 | Alistair Cook | Joe Root | Eng | WI | Birmingham | 2017 |
| 215 | 1 | Sami Aslam | Azhar Ali | Pak | WI | Dubai | 2016 |
| 173 | 6 | Asad Shafiq | Sarfraz Ahmed | Pak | SL | Dubai | 2017 |
| 172 | 4 | Steve Smith | Peter Handscomb | Aus | Pak | Brisbane | 2016 |
| 166 | 5 | Marnus Labuschagne | Travis Head | Aus | SL | Brisbane | 2019 |
| 165 | 3 | Azhar Ali | Babar Azam | Pak | WI | Dubai | 2016 |
| 162 | 4 | Alistair Cook | Dawid Malan | Eng | WI | Birmingham | 2017 |
Best Innings Bowling in Day-Night Tests
| Bowling | Overs | Player | For | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/49 | 13.5 | Devendra Bishoo | West Indies | Pakistan | Dubai | 2016 |
| 6/23 | 15 | Pat Cummins | Australia | Sri Lanka | Brisbane | 2019 |
| 6/32 | 10.4 | Trent Boult | New Zealand | England | Auckland | 2018 |
| 6/70 | 24.5 | Josh Hazlewood | Australia | New Zealand | Adelaide | 2015 |
| 6-/184 | 55.5 | Yasir Shah | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Dubai | 2017 |
| 5/21 | 11 | Morne Morkel | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Port Elizabeth | 2017 |
| 5/41 | 14.2 | Jason Holder | West Indies | Sri Lanka | Bridgetown | 2018 |
| 5/43 | 22 | Jimmy Anderson | England | Australia | Adelaide | 2017 |
| 5/59 | 17.3 | Keshav Maharaj | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Port Elizabeth | 2017 |
| 5/60 | 16 | Trent Boult | New Zealand | Australia | Adelaide | 2015 |
| 5/75 | 27 | Suranga Lakmal | Sri Lanka | Australia | Brisbane | 2019 |
| 5/88 | 19.2 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | England | Adelaide | 2017 |
| 5/98 | 26 | Dilruwan Perera | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Dubai | 2017 |
| 5/121 | 43 | Yasir Shah | Pakistan | West Indies | Dubai | 2016 |
Best Match Bowling in Day-Night Tests
| Bowling | Overs | Player | For | Vs | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/62 | 29.4 | PJat Cummins | Australia | Sri Lanka | Brisbane | 2019 |
| 10/174 | 48.5 | Devendra Bishoo | West Indies | Pakistan | Dubai | 2016 |
| 9-/60 | 30.2 | Jason Holder | West Indies | Sri Lanka | Bridgetown | 2018 |
| 9/99 | 37.4 | Trent Boult | New Zealand | England | Auckland | 2018 |
| 9/136 | 42.1 | Josh Hazlewood | Australia | New Zealand | Adelaide | 2015 |
| 8-/137 | 39.2 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | England | Adelaide | 2017 |
| 8/170 | 52 | Dilruwan Perera | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Dubai | 2017 |
| 8/231 | 67.5 | Yasir Shah | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Dubai | 2017 |
