A round of pink-ball trial games has been scrapped, reducing New Zealand's hopes for a day-night Test against South Africa.
The Black Caps' hopes of playing a day-night cricket Test against South Africa in early 2017 have faded after the scrapping of a scheduled round of pink-ball trial matches next month in New Zealand's domestic first-class competition.
The attempt to play a round of day-night matches in the four-day Plunket Shield competition was shelved on Thursday because lighting at one of the stadiums - McLean Park in Napier - was inadequate for the pink ball.
New Zealand Cricket's head of operations Lindsay Crocker told representatives of the first-class teams in a teleconference that the day-night test against South Africa was unlikely to go ahead.
Crocker said "my gut is that (South Africa) might be a bit early for us."
