The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have indicated their plan to Cricket Australia (CA) for a pink-ball test boycott for the 2029/30 Ashes. The development comes after England suffered a disappointing 4-1 loss against Australia in the recently completed Ashes 2025-26. The hosts dominated the Ben Stokes-led side in both departments, as they were completely under pressure for most of the series. Their only victory came in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, where they successfully sealed a 175-run chase. Let’s take a detailed look at why England are against the use of the pink ball in the Ashes series to be played in Australia in 2029-30.
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Why ECB Boycotting Pink-Ball Tests?
The concept of a day-night test match is highly prevalent in Australia, which has hosted 14 out of 25 pink-ball games. Meanwhile, England also experimented by organizing and playing a pink-ball test for the first time against the West Indies in 2017. In the end, they won the game by an innings and 209 runs. However, the crowd’s enthusiasm remained a bit low, and a few stands went vacant before the end of the day’s play. Most of the spectators visit the stadium in England via public transport bus, and the attendance for the final session saw a major drop.
Related Article：Pink Ball vs Red Ball：Everything Fans Need to Know About Day-Night Strategy
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As a result, the ECB didn’t support the theory of a day-night test match and hasn’t hosted any of them for the last nine years, while playing seven of them on away soil. So far, England have won only two out of their eight pink-ball games, while losing six of them. England’s latest day-night Test fixture came in the 2025-26 Ashes series against Australia at The Gabba, Brisbane. Batting first, England were all out for 334, as Joe Root scored his maiden hundred on Australian soil.
No day-night game has been set in stone for the next away series but BBC Sport understands any proposals will be met with opposition.
England and Australia are due to play a one-off day-night Test at the MCG in March 2027 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first ever… pic.twitter.com/tAZGy78Bqj
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) January 13, 2026
In response, Australia scored a mammoth total of 511, riding on fifties from five of their batters. Thereafter, the use of the pink ball in the ashes had a significant impact on England, as they were all out for 241. Australia chased down a 65-run chase easily with eight wickets to spare. Due to a one-sided contest and the game swinging heavily in favor of Australian pacers, the ECB have decided on a pink-ball test boycott during the 2029-30 Ashes series.
However, England and Australia will play a one-off day-night test match at MCG in March 2027 to mark the 150th anniversary of the first-ever Test played at the venue. The English team is expected to play a warm-up game before the fixture. Regardless, the senior ECB officials have conveyed to Cricket Australia officials that they want all five games of the 2029-30 Ashes to be played with a red ball.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Day-Night Test Matches
The idea of a day-night Test with a pink ball was devised after ODIs and T20Is seemed to attract more fans to the stadium and better TV viewership in the evenings. The day-night test matches are broadcaster-friendly, as the children can enjoy the action after their school hours, and the adults can stream/watch the final two sessions in their post-work hours.
The highest-rated Day-Night Test across Kayo Sports, Foxtel, Seven and 7plus Sport 📈#Ashes pic.twitter.com/0A3NaB7MpE
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) December 9, 2025
Moreover, the pink ball also helps bowlers to pose a significant threat to the batters under lights and extract more movement off the surface. Meanwhile, the red ball doesn’t offer much for the fast bowlers when the sun’s out during the daytime. The pink ball is also enhanced for better visibility and tends to maintain its shine for a longer duration.
England reportedly plan to reject any proposals to play a day-night Test in the next Ashes series in Australia 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ww41ImhAYi
— England’s Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) January 14, 2026
When it comes to its disadvantages, it is hard to pick up clearly for the batters and fielders during the dusk period, when the pink ball can blend into the background. As it is coated with extra lacquer to retain the shine, the pink ball wears off earlier than the red ball, affecting the grip and control.
Moreover, the usage of the pink ball results in the game swaying heavily in favor of the bowlers, especially with the new ball. The batters are caught up in a difficult situation, and run-scoring becomes hard. Meanwhile, the visibility of a pink ball is different for each country. It has achieved success in Australia, but doesn’t necessarily effective enough in other countries.
Why England’s Pink-Ball Boycott Might Come to Fruition?
The call for the pink-ball test boycott by the ECB has gained traction, as veteran Australian captain Steve Smith has also echoed his thoughts on the matter. As per Smith, there is no need for a pink ball in the Ashes, as the marquee series drew large crowds even in the red-ball games.
“Not a big fan of the pink ball, I can’t see the thing very well” 🤣
Steve Smith discusses reports that there won’t be a Pink Ball test in the next home Ashes series.#cricket #stevesmith #pinkball #ashes pic.twitter.com/b0gEUYc8Jj
— Kayo Sports (@kayosports) January 15, 2026
The day-night tests have been a regular fixture in the Australian summer since its introduction in 2015. However, Cricket Australia doesn’t have any contractual agreements with Seven and Fox to stage a pink-ball test match. Australia are scheduled to host test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand in 2026-27, and none of them are day-night games. Hence, England are in a sweet spot, and their demand is likely to be fulfilled by CA, and none of the pink-ball games will be played during the 2029-30 Ashes in Australia.
