Sabina Park Day-Night Test 2025: Venue Faces Delays Ahead of Historic Match

Sabina Park Day-Night Test 2025: Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, is preparing to host its first-ever Day-Night Test match, but the preparations have faced multiple delays. The historic match is part of Australia’s tour of the West Indies and is scheduled to begin on July 12, 2025. While the stadium is aiming to be ready in time, there are still a few challenges to overcome.

Sabina Park Day-Night Test 2025: Lighting and Scoreboard Issues Still Pending

One of the major concerns has been the installation of new floodlights, which are necessary for a Day-Night Test. These lights were supposed to be ready earlier this year, then postponed to May, but have only recently been installed. During testing, one area near the Kingston Cricket Club stand was found to be not well-lit.

Despite the delay, Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) President Dr. Donovan Bennett remains confident that everything will be ready before the Test. He admitted there were unexpected issues during construction but is hopeful that the final adjustments, especially to the lighting, will be done when experts arrive on July 7 to fine-tune the setup with laser beams.

The scoreboard and replay screen, upgraded with the help of Indian funding, also faced delays. Some additional work was needed after problems were discovered while removing the old screen. But the JCA believes both the lights and scoreboard will be fully functional by match day.

ICC Approval and Upcoming Matches

The final green signal will come from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after their officials inspect the venue a few days before the match. The Cricket West Indies (CWI) is also optimistic and believes the Test will go on as planned.

This will be only the second Day-Night Test in the Caribbean. The first was played in Barbados in 2018 between the West Indies and Sri Lanka. The venue will also host two T20Is under lights after the Test series.

Australia, known for their pink-ball expertise, have won 12 of their 13 Day-Night Tests. Their only loss came against West Indies at the Gabba in 2024.