New Zealand want Bangladesh day-night Test

New Zealand will trial the pink ball and day-night format in the Plunket Shield in February, with plans being formulated to play a floodlit Test match against Bangladesh in December 2016.

The February 20 round of the domestic competition will feature day-night matches played in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier, as a step on the road towards a proposed night Test against Bangladesh. Lindsay Crocker, New Zealand Cricket's head of cricket, said December was the right time of year for the concept.

"We think probably the best one to try it would be Bangladesh in December," Crocker told stuff.co.nz. "We think November is a little early so that December series could potentially be one. But we haven't discussed that with them yet.

"That [Plunket Shield round] sits quite nicely with three home teams having lit venues. We've identified that as a round that, should this [Adelaide] match go successfully and we're satisfied that we can try it, then we would [go ahead]."

The BCB said it hadn't been approached yet. "They haven't told us but if it comes up, it will first go to the cricket committee, then we will take a policy decision on the board level," the chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo.

David White, the NZC chief executive, said momentum for the format was growing. "In the debate around the ICC chief executives' table there has been a lot of interest," White said. "Everyone acknowledges that outside of England and Australia it's been a challenge for Test crowds and is certainly a concept that people are very receptive to."

The news arrived as Brendon McCullum's team prepared for the inaugural day-night Test at Adelaide Oval from Friday, with several other nations already showing an interest in a concept that has been pushed heavily by Cricket Australia in recent times.

"People are voting with their feet that they're encouraged by what the pink ball Test match has to offer," McCullum said before his team's floodlit training session on match eve. "For us to play in front of 40,000-odd people in a Test match is pretty amazing and we're really, really excited about it. Hopefully it goes off brilliantly and there's no challenges and no problems.

"If we have that final session on that fifth day under lights and a result is in the balance then it could be anything for Test cricket. It could be something that is outstanding for the game. We'll find out once the game's over but we're relishing the opportunity to test it out."