It truly was a landmark moment for a format of the game which, despite being the preferred choice of the sport’s many traditionalists and most ardent followers, remains plagued with issues and troubles.

Poor attendances, sub-standard pitches and matches often bereft of quality have served only to dampen and diminish the reputation of the Test format.

But, in fairness, the powerbrokers within world cricket, such as the International Cricket Council (ICC), have noticed a problem and have attempted to fix it. Credit where credit’s due.

The move, which came as a result of prolonged discussions between Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket, at least shows they are addressing the difficulties and they will no doubt he satisfied with how the historic day-night match between the two sides, the last of a three-Test series, panned out, with swathes of fans flocking to the Adelaide Oval over the three days of action.

Not only that, but the imagery the contest provided was staggering, with the iconic venue bathed in a stunning glow as the sun descended behind the stands. A truly beautiful scene which will no doubt be used in adverts by television executives keen to show the benefits of broadcasting the game.

Such dramatic action in ditching the red ball in favour of a pink sphere never before seen within the Test arena was clearly required, with legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne declaring the “pink ball” test as “very important” for the game as a whole.

Usually, Test matches at international level begin at around 10am local time, with play coming to a close as the sunlight begins to fade. This, while the bedrock of the format as we know it, often limits the amount of supporters who are able to attend.

With matches often lasting the full five-day quota, at times the final and most pivotal day can take place during the week, immediately ruling out anyone who works – making for a drab and timid atmosphere.

By starting later and finishing later, the door has been to a whole new audience, many of which descended on the Adelaide Oval during the day-night contest between two of the game’s top teams.

While critics blasted the pink ball as too bowler-friendly,  which ultimately had too much of a say in the final result, it’s fair to say it largely passed the test. Expect the ICC to expand the amount of day-night Test matches over the next few years.

It isn’t the first time, however, that those within the often murky world of cricketing governance have shown they are willing to change and adapt.

Back in 2003, the English Cricket Board (ECB) unleashed Twenty20 cricket to the world in response to reduced sponsorship and dwindling attendances at its flagship domestic competition, the County Championship, and to replace the defunct Benson & Hedges Cup.

In a bid to provide supporters with a faster, more exciting brand of a sport which is sometimes labelled as mundane, the ECB created a concept which was far more than cricket - suddenly music greeted every wicket, with the occasional pyrotechnic effect thrown in for good measure.

I bet even they didn’t realise quite how popular it would become. From its relatively modest roots the format has enjoyed a meteoric rise to perhaps the top echelon of cricket nowadays, though I acknoweldge that won’t please the purists.

It is somewhat cyclical that the format’s first venture into the international stratosphere was a contest between Australia and New Zealand, played at Eden Park in Auckland, and today, domestic leagues all over the world form a major part of the cricketing calendar.

While England’s T20 Blast languishes far behind, the Big Bash in Australia and the Indian Premier League continue to prosper, with the game's top players being bought by “franchises” for vast amounts of money, coupled with vociferous, sold-out crowds, making for a spectacular showing of what the format has to offer.

As a result of this rapid development in popularity, despite it being the youngest of worldwide cricket’s three main formats - the others being Test and one day internationals - it appears to be the preferred option for the ICC in their pursuit of a spot on the grandest stage of them all: the Olympic Games.

Cricket’s case for Olympic inclusion has been gathering pace in recent months, culminating in an ICC delegation, led by chief executive David Richardson, meeting with officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month. 

The rendezvous between the ICC and the IOC came after Marylebone Cricket Club’s World Cricket Committee called for the inclusion of the Twenty20 format in July, which prompted several leading figures in the game, including Warne and Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, to speak out in favour of any attempt at getting sport on the Olympic Programme for the first time.

Following the discussions, Richardson claimed Twenty20 would be the ICC’s choice of format if they are to pursue inclusion at the 2024 Games, insisting the IOC wouldn’t want a “Mickey Mouse” version of cricket at the Olympics amid suggestions that beach or indoor cricket, formats which have no real international standing, might be given the nod.

On paper at least, Twenty20 cricket and the Olympic Games seem a perfect match. The competition wouldn’t be difficult to stage and the tournament wouldn’t cause any issues in terms of athlete numbers, largely due to the fact that only 18 nations have T20 international status, and in my humble opinion, there’s no doubt the sport would provide a thrilling addition to the event as a whole.

But the lack of recognised Twenty20 internationals is also a hindrance to its potential inclusion and is one of many hurdles the ICC must clear if they stand any chance of calling themselves an Olympic sport in the near future.

The IOC are suckers for any additional sports being added to the programme having what they always call a “global reach”, and the ICC are guilty of self-sabotaging any attempt at demonstrating this particular quality by going ahead with plans to cut the amount of teams at the 50-over World Cup.

The 2019 edition of the tournament will feature just 10 sides rather than the usual 14 and the move, which has been on the cards since 2011, comes despite the superb performances of the so-called lesser nations at this year’s competition in Australia and New Zealand, including the likes of Ireland and Afghanistan.

What a ridiculous change this really is. At a time where other sports, including rugby - the sevens version is a part of Rio 2016, remember - are giving a platform to the smaller teams, allowing them to showcase themselves on the global stage, the ICC are stopping any potential emergence of lesser sides dead in its tracks. It truly is a shame.

Warne and Tendulkar have recently attempted to take matters into their own hands to combat the supposed lack of worldwide reach cricket garners by taking part in the Cricket All-Stars Series, a three-match competition between teams laced with some of the best players in the game’s history which was played in the United States, a country which has no real cricketing pedigree.

The final game between Sachin’s Blasters and Warne’s Warriors was even held at the Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium, a venue which could become an Olympic one should the city win its bid to stage the 2024 Games.

It may not have been an event designed to run alongside any pursuit of a spot on the Olympic programme but it certainly didn’t hurt.

Despite showing signs of adaptability when it comes to some of cricket’s issues, the ICC itself is far from squeaky clean. Problems with corruption within the governing body have littered the sport for decades, while the organisation is often dwarfed by the triumvirate of cricketing powerhouses Australia, India and England when it comes to making big decisions.

Match-fixing, or rather spot-fixing, where seemingly minor aspects of a game such as wides in an over or bowling no-balls are manipulated, has also been a thorn in the ICC’s side for some time and was thrust into the limelight by the recent perjury trial of New Zealand’s former all-rounder Chris Cairns, accused of fixing matches. Although Cairns was acquitted, it is an issue the ICC never quite been able to shake off.

The ICC, for all its difficulties and corruption-laden past, have taken steps in the right direction to improve their sport but it remains to be seen whether they will concretely pursue the avenue of Olympic inclusion. After all, they did not bother to bid for Tokyo 2020 - surely an opportunity missed. 

One thing’s for sure, though. If the ICC were to mount a successful campaign to become part of the Olympic Games, it would surely be the most significant occurrence in the history of the sport, even more memorable than when Starc sent the first-ever pink ball in a day-night Test match hurtling towards the stumps at 90 miles an hour.