“I don’t know if it’ll work, but I am not a fan of it at all”

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Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has announced that he believes the idea of day-night Tests is “just stupid”.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) are eager for day-night Test cricket to become the next big thing, but before they implement it, they have been testing it in domestic leagues like Australia’s Sheffield Shield.

“I have never played with the pink ball,” Pietersen said. “And if they start playing day-night Test cricket, then they have to start new statistics because it’s totally different. You’ve got Brett Lee running in at quarter to ten at night with the second new ball. I mean it’s just stupid.

“I don’t know if it’ll work, but I am not a fan of it at all. If they want to play it, then it can be a new form of cricket, but they have to use new statistics for it for sure. If you are going to play day-night Test cricket in Durban, I can’t see a ball spinning when the sun goes down, and the light comes on. I can see the ball seaming. On day five, spinners win you Test matches. But with the lights coming on, it will be seamers who will win you matches on day five. So I am not a fan of it at all.”

However, legendary India batsman Rahul Dravid stated that he was open to the idea of day-night Tests at the Cricinfo-for-Cricket Summit last year.

“If it [keeping Tests relevant] means playing day-night cricket, we must give it a try, keep an open mind,” Dravid said. “The game’s traditions aren’t under threat if we play Test cricket under lights. I know there have been concerns about the durability of the pink ball, but I have had some experience of it having played for the MCC, and it seemed to hold up okay.”