The Otago Cricket Association's push to ''light up'' the University Oval got over another hurdle yesterday with the Dunedin City Council signing off on its million-dollar contribution to the project.
The cost to install permanent floodlights at the international venue has been priced about $2 million which means the OCA still has to find another million.
OCA chief executive Mike Coggan said the association was confident of raising the funds.
''I'm pleased with where that is at,'' he said.
''Essentially we have spoken to all critical funders ... and also with the pledges from the wider cricket community and our own fundraising internally, I'm very confident we'll get close to what the final cost is.''
The next step for the OCA is to appoint a project manager and secure the appropriate building consents.
''Even though it is a project on their [DCC] land, we still have to go through a fairly rigorous consent process.
''In an ideal world you would like to think we would have the lights up in time for one of our ODIs this forthcoming summer.
''There are internationals against Pakistan [early next year] ... and at best you'd be looking at having the lights in place by then. The reality is, I would suggest, that the consents process will not allow us to have lights up within that period of time.''
The first game under lights is likely to be staged the following summer, he said. However, work expanding the eastern embankment and increasing the capacity of the venue to a minimum of 6000 is expected to be completed much earlier.
New Zealand Cricket has promised a steady stream of international fixtures during the next eight years.
Initially, it was hoped the University Oval would host a test between New Zealand and Australia in February but NZC is considering dropping a test in favour of reinstating the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series.
