Mitch McClenaghan returns after being laid low for weeks by a foot injury. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Plunket Shield cricket goes under lights, and with a pink ball, for the first time today.
The seventh-round matches are going day-night to check the facilities with the latest version of the pink ball - black stitching, not green - with the long game being the suitability of the grounds
for England's marquee visit next summer.
The likelihood is Eden Park will host one of the tests, so Auckland will host shield leaders Canterbury over the next four days, with the southern stand open to the public, the rest shut off; second-placed Northern Districts face bottom side Central Districts at Seddon Park; while Wellington meet Otago in a first shield game at Westpac Stadium, which has lights, something the Basin Reserve does not.
There are plenty of boxes to be ticked before a test can be signed off at a New Zealand ground. The quality of the lighting is one aspect. Assessing visibility for the players is another, while in Eden Park's case, a dispensation would be required to allow the ground to be used on a Sunday night.
New Zealand Cricket will hold a significant debrief with the major associations, and players, after the round to soak up the feedback.
