The Proteas have closed the curtain on plans for a day-night Test on their three-match tour of Australia in November.

The Australians have been pushing for the third and final Test, in Adelaide, to be a day-night event, following their spectacular triumph over New Zealand in November last year, which Australia won within three days.

The Proteas, though, feel they could be at a disadvantage as they have had no experience of playing with the pink ball and the CSA has given the players its support.

Proteas captain AB de Villiers has said that even the Australian players are reluctant to play in that format.

‘We had a meeting with [Australia captain] Steve Smith and some of the Australian players when they toured here earlier this year, and the consensus from our talks were that there are just too many unknowns,’ said De Villiers. ‘Players from both teams were reluctant to go ahead with it.’

De Villiers pointed out that they could well be playing for the No 1 Test ranking, and he would not want to jeopardise that by playing in difficult conditions. ‘South Africa and Australia have a great cricketing rivalry, and this is a series that we value,’ he added.

It was a view endorsed by Tony Irish, the CEO of the South African Cricketers’ Association (Saca), who said that while the players accepted why CA was trialling day-night Test cricket, it was ‘still very experimental.’

It is understood the CSA echoes those views, and accepts that the players will not be ready to play a day-night Test this year.

Regardless of the Adelaide scheduling, one new experience for South Africa’s cricketers will be playing a Test in Hobart for the first time. They have been given the second Test, from 12-16 November. The tour opens in Perth from 3-7 November, with Adelaide scheduled for 24-28 November.