"You're 4 for 130, at twilight, you can be 8 for 150" - Matthew Hayden underlines challenge of day-night Test ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has warned that the game can change quickly during the day-night Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The 52-year-old suggested that pink-ball Tests are the reason home advantage is no longer significantly with Australia and that even the hosts can lose wickets in a clump.
Out of 12 pink-ball Tests, all of which have come at home, Australia have lost only one, doing so against the West Indies earlier this year. With the pink ball moving around a lot more, especially during the evening session, teams often lose wickets in a heap.
Speaking on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Awards, Hayden suggested that the overhead conditions during twilight is when batting becomes a lot more challenging and teams must be vigilant. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he stated:
"One is a day-night Test match [in Adelaide] - the second Test match. Again, once you get those overhead conditions under that twilight zone, they can be really difficult [to bat on]. I would go as far as to say that the home advantage in Australia has been taken away quite a lot, simply on the basis that if you get the wrong side of a certain session, be that you're 4 for 130, at twilight, you can be 8 for 150. So there's no chance to naturally dominate a game."
India and Australia locked horns in a day-night Test in 2020 at the Adelaide Oval. The tourists were in a dominant position until collapsing to 36 all out on day 3, causing Australia to ram home the advantage and win by eight wickets.
"It's going to be runs that are going to be the point of difference" - Matthew Hayden
Hayden also stated that it's hard to tell which team is the pre-series favourite, but is confident that runs for both sides will be at a premium. Hayden said (as per the aforementioned source):
"You look at the line-ups, and it's hard to really tell who's got the edge. I sense that it's going to be runs that are going to be the point of difference. So the best need to stand up in this series; runs are going to be at a premium. And I also feel like the structure of the tournament being from the west to the east is a bit of the unique way that the Australian landscape of cricket is going to be played out. It's usually the other way around. It's going to be a great summer."
India have won all the Test series they have played against Australia since 2014-15.