South Africa and Zimbabwe could contest the first day-night four-day Test in history if the International Cricket Council approves Cricket South Africa's request for the day/night fixture on Boxing Day to carry Test status. CSA announced on Wednesday (September 20) that they intend to host their neighbours for what will be the first long-form day/night fixture on the continent, and that it will be played over just four days.

CSA also revealed that they will host India for just three Tests in January, with time constraints forcing them to drop a Test from the original plan and increase the number of one-day internationals to six. India will now arrive in South Africa on December 28 and play a two-day warm-up match in Paarl ahead of the first Test at Newlands on January 5. The three Tests and six ODIs will be followed by three Twenty20 Internationals.

If the decision to leave out a Test rather than cut the number of limited overs matches was further confirmation of the shrinking primacy of Test cricket, the announcement on the Zimbabwe fixture hinted at the changing nature of the longest format. Four-day Tests have been discussed at the ICC in recent years with the CSA chief executive known to be among those in favor of the idea.

However, just how many of the game's chief decision-makers agree that four-day Tests represent the future will be put to the test - most likely at the ICC's next meeting in October. If the ICC approve CSA's request for the fixture to be granted Test status then the first four-day Test since the 1970s will likely lead to many more.

With India unable to contest the Boxing Day plan as CSA had initially hoped, the organisation needed to arrange an alternative opponent in order to meet its broadcast and sponsorship deals. Zimbabwe represented the most natural opponent for a one-off Test, and CSA have used the fixture as an opportunity to experiment not just with day/night cricket but also with a shorter game.