Concerned traditionalist David Townsend investigates a day/night Test at the shiny new Adelaide Oval…

Pink balls? Floodlights? Experimenting against West Indies in Birmingham is all very well, but the second Test of the Ashes series is sure to have purists bristling as the old rivals look to embrace progress in what was once the most unspoiled of venues, not to mention home of The_Don.

Innovation is to be welcomed only if authenticity is retained. Will an Ashes Test under lights be the real deal, or simply a gimmick to further bloat the already swollen coffers of Cricket Australia? Enquiring minds needed to know, and last winter headed south to find out.

The omens had not been good. The first Test match under lights between Australia and New Zealand was a mad scramble of wickets as the pink balls misbehaved, but with teething troubles apparently sorted, happily last November’s encounter with South Africa was a proper game of cricket.

It looked right and felt genuine. There was nothing contrived and, as the saying goes, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it should probably steer clear of Chinese restaurants.

There were three well-constructed centuries, each traversing the awkward twilight hour when it does nibble around a bit more, some excellent seam bowling and a just result. “That’ll do,” we thought. “That was a Test match.” Attending a pink-ball day/nighter at a shiny new stadium was never going to be easy for someone who has enjoyed Test cricket as a constant for five decades and who fell in love with the charm of the old Adelaide Oval after an overnight bus ride from Melbourne in late 1982. After crossing the River Torrens that first time and turning left across the park, there was something almost mystical about the Richardson Gates looming into view; a spine-tingling moment for any visitor with a sense of the game’s history.