The England & Wales Cricket Board "poured cold water on the prospect of a day-night test against Australia" during the England-hosted Ashes series in '19, according to Ian Ransom of REUTERS. The Adelaide Oval hosted the first day-night contest between the Ashes foes in the second test of the ongoing series, with Australia winning by 120 runs. England’s win over the West Indies in the nation’s first day-night test at Edgbaston in August was "hailed as a success by the ECB." ECB CEO Tom Harrison "did not rule out a day-night match" in the 2019 Ashes but said that it was "unlikely." Harrison: "It's to be decided, it's unlikely to be honest. I think we've got a formula which works brilliantly well for us in Ashes cricket in the U.K." (REUTERS, 12/26). The BBC reported day-night test cricket is viewed as "one way of halting the fall in attendances" for the five-day game around the world. Another theory is to "shorten matches to four days," which South Africa is currently experimenting with against Zimbabwe in its Boxing Day test in Port Elizabeth (BBC, 12/27).
