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Sydney, Dec 29 (ANI): Cricket Australia is continuing to explore ways of playing crickets oldest format under lights to attract more spectators and television audiences, but cannot proceed until a suitable ball is found.

Given the red ball loses visibility at night and white balls is discoloured badly inside 50 overs, CA has the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization searching for a suitable replacement, which includes testing orange, yellow and even pink balls.

The reintroduction of a fluorescent ball in the Sheffield Shield will determine whether Australia will break with over century old tradition and stage a day-night Test match, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

CA chief executive James Sutherland was not prepared to put a time frame on when the organisation hopes to stage the first day-night Test; he said Australias domestic competition would again host a trial.

Day-night matches were played in the Sheffield Shield in the 1990s, but were scrapped because the yellow and orange balls would lose colour and swing dramatically when affected by evening dew.

Sutherland said day-night Tests could not be staged until CA was satisfied with a ball that retained colour and resisted moisture, which would be trialled domestically before the idea was taken to the International Cricket Council.

I dont think we would be able to convince everyone around the table at the ICC that it is the way to go until its been successfully piloted, Sutherland said.

The most obvious place to pilot is going to be through our Sheffield Shield competition, do it all the different venues and really get a good feel for any issues, he added.

CA is hopeful the CSIRO can find a suitable ball by the end of 2009, but Sutherland was not prepared to put a date on when Tests could be played under lights, although he said CA was very serious about pursuing the concept, The SMH reported.

The major shortcoming of five-day Test matches for promoters and broadcasters is they are played on weekdays and outside televisions prime time period. CA believes day-night Tests would make them accessible to more people and could help raise Test attendances across the world. (ANI)