A 50,000-strong crowd went home tickled pink after the opening day of the historic first day-night Test in Adelaide today.
Fears over the way the pink ball would behave, on its debut at this level, were not completely dispelled but the contest between bat and ball never appeared compromised.
New Zealand were bundled out for 202 just as the Adelaide Oval lights hit full beam before Steve Smith’s men responded by reaching the 9.30pm close at 54 for two.
And the crowd played their part in an emotional tribute to Phillip Hughes, the Aussie Test star who died a year ago today after being hit on the helmet in a Sheffield Shield game at the SCG.
Both teams wore black armbands bearing the initials PH and the festive feel of the occasion turned sombre during tea at 4.08pm — the batsman’s Test number. The players watched on as a three-minute video was played to the crowd, culminating with the message: Remembering 408.
Mitchell Starc, who later limped off with an ankle injury after taking three for 24, delivered the first ball of the ground-breaking match to Martin Guptill. Then Josh Hazlewood earned the honour of the first wicket, trapping Guptill lbw for one, but Australia made their move in the second session when they claimed three wickets in the space of 11 balls.
Five wickets fell in the evening session, which followed Test cricket’s first-ever 40-minute dinner break, during which the crowd noticeably swelled as fans from the nearby central business district made the short walk across the River Torrens for the final two hours of play.
Their reward was to see Peter Siddle claim his 200th Test wicket — the 15th Australian to do so — and the home bowlers mop up the final three Black Caps wickets.
That left Australia with 22 overs to face under the lights and they lost the key wicket of David Warner — who had three centuries in the series — in the fourth over.
Joe Burns was the only other wicket to fall, bowled by Doug Bracewell off an inside edge.
Captain Steve Smith was again the steady hand, unbeaten on 24, with veteran Adam Voges alongside him on nine.
