England’s Alastair Cook echoes Australia’s Steve Smith day-night Ashes comments

England captain Alastair Cook has followed Australia skipper Steve Smith and suggested the Ashes should not include day-night Tests.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that Australia’s third Test against South Africa in Adelaide in November will be partially played under the floodlights, but Smith warned against the format being introduced for the Ashes.

Cook echoed his counterpart’s sentiments, citing concerns over the quality of the pink ball used in day-night matches as his main concern.

“A lot of the games have really good attendances, so I don’t think that’s a series where you need to do it at this precise moment in time,” said Cook.

“I think my general view of day-night Test cricket is that there is definitely something there that the ICC can keep looking at because it moves the game forward with timing and allows more people to come and watch.

“The biggest problem I have with it is the quality of the pink ball. I don’t mean any disrespect to those making it, but on the two occasions I have played with it, it didn’t behave the same way as the red ball.

“That is one of the great things about Test cricket, the ball. Sometimes it swings conventionally, sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes it reverses.

“The pink ball I played with didn’t do anything like that.”