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[caption id="attachment_15876" align="alignnone" width="580"] Ashes test match to be played under lights in pink ball. Cricket australia.com.au[/caption] Internet Desk: Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland wants players to remain open-minded about day-night test matches during the 2017-18 Ashes series in Australia. Sutherland said he respected the concern of Australia captain Steve Smith and others, but reiterated that a pink-ball Ashes test would be a "natural progression." Australia hosted the first day-night test at the Adelaide Oval last year, beating New Zealand in a low-scoring match. The venue will host another day-night test in November, after South African players ended weeks of debate by agreeing Wednesday to be involved. Today, Sutherland said day-night tests will allow for bigger audiences at the matches and on television and predicted there'd be "somewhere between zero and two" day-night tests during the next Ashes series. He spoke after Smith, playing in the West Indies in a limited-overs tri-series, said the Ashes "works pretty well with the red (regular) ball ... playing against England, we always get the viewers and the crowds out, so I don't think there is any issue there." England captain Alastair Cook has also indicated he'd like the 2017-18 Ashes series to be all traditional day matches. Dates haven't been announced for that series. The Adelaide day-night test last year was completed in three days, but drew 124,000 spectators and television ratings were also favorable. "I think there's a natural progression for us to get to a stage where Ashes test matches are played as day-night games," Sutherland said. "The players are clearly an important stakeholder and I respect the views of Steven and Alastair in saying that. The Ashes is a great contest, and (it) will no doubt attract huge audiences both at the ground and on television. "But I think the facts of the matter are that by playing a day-night test match you're actually going to get bigger audiences at the game and on television. It even time-shifts games into a more appealing time of day in the U.K. That's another factor we need to consider.