South African great pushes pink-ball Test

Former South African batting great Barry Richards says his country's cricketers must play the day-night Test in Adelaide for the good of the game.

South African cricket great Barry Richards says his country must play the Adelaide day-night Test. (AAP)

South African cricket great Barry Richards has called on his country to embrace the proposed Adelaide day-night Test against Australia this summer.

The South Africans are still yet to commit to the match, arguing a lack of experience against the pink ball, but Richards says it is imperative they agree to play the Test.

"It's a bit woozy, isn't it?" he said on Thursday on Sky Sports Radio's Big Sports Breakfast.

"It's not as if they can't have a practice game, and it's not as if they haven't seen it before."

Richards was part of the MCC Cricket Committee with Shaun Pollack for a number of years, and said he had taken a number of pink balls back to his homeland for authorities to look at.

He was also part of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket, which introduced the white ball in the 1970s, and he said current players must keep an open mind on day-night Tests if they wished to keep the traditional format alive.

"(Test cricket) is important for the country. If you do well, everyone takes notice," he said.

"We've got to preserve it and one of the ways of doing that is getting a lot of people along when they can come."

Richards smashed 1538 runs at 109.86 in his only season at Adelaide Oval while playing with South Australia in the Sheffield Shield in 1970-71, and said he still believed the Proteas would eventually come to the table with a little assistance.

"I think if you guys put a million dollars on the table, it might turn the pink ball into a red one," he said.

"I don't think it's off the table, it's certainly under discussion and, hopefully, they will come to the party in the end."