A Load of Balls?

Balls. Pink Balls. That’s the subject we’ve pulled out of the sack today. With the first ever day-night test beginning on Friday, the time is surely right to examine the issue. Does the idea of pink balls rub you up the wrong way? Or does the idea excite you? And will I stop making ball jokes? Not likely I’m afraid.

This upcoming Adelaide test has got the cricket world talking. Traditionalists think it’s an abomination. Those concerned with the test cricket’s future believe anything’s worth a try. Others like myself, who quite enjoy sitting on the metaphorical fence, are waiting to see what happens – although I’m worried I’ll get splinters in my own balls if I stay up here too long.

As someone who cares deeply about the state of test cricket, I’m very encouraged that the first two days of the Adelaide test have already sold out. That’s over 100,000 tickets – or 5% of the total number of people who attended professional cricket matches in England last summer. The marketing people have done a good job.

However, I really don’t know if Friday’s historic test match will be a one-off (and become a trivia question forevermore) or the start of a new trend. My fear is that some of the feedback from players has been quite negative. Is using a pink ball even practical?

It’s fair to mention that the ICC have trialled many different colours to date. Pink was considered the easiest to pick up under both natural and artificial light. Although tennis is always played with a yellow ball (or occasionally white), I guess we have to take the ICC’s word on this one.

Having said that, pink does seem somewhat problematic. The colour-blind Chris Rogers had to pull out of a domestic day-night game last year because he couldn’t see the pink ball. I’m red-green colour-blind myself, so I hope this doesn’t catch on over here.

Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon has confessed that the pink ball gives him an advantage: apparently batsmen can’t see the seam when the ball is in the air. Heaven knows how they’ll see it when the likes of Pat Cummins is bowling.

The pink ball also threatens test cricket’s statistical integrity. As Sir Ian Botham pointed out a few weeks ago on Sky, test cricket has been played with a red ball in daylight since 1877. All records have been achieved in these conditions. Throwing a pink ball into the mix, and playing certain sessions under lights, can skew statistics and diminish their worth.

Sir Ian was not impressed with the idea at all. Let’s hope he’s in better humour today. It’s his 60th birthday. However, in defence of the pink ball, cricket has already changed considerably over the last century and a half. Bats have changed, protective equipment has changed, and pitches are now covered too. Maybe the introduction of pink balls is just another innovation.

The behaviour of balls, however, is quite the sticky wicket. Although manufacturers swear blind that the white ball used in ODIs and T20s is made exactly the same way, with identical materials, there’s no denying that it behaves differently. Just ask Allan Donald or Steve Harmison.

A final point to mention is that day-night tests could add another tactical dimension to test cricket. The natural ebb and flow of the game could be disturbed. Declarations will have to be recalculated. Batsmen might try to cash in during the afternoon session before the ball starts hooping around corners or skidding off the surface at right angles. Or, just maybe, everything will work out fine and the experiment will be a resounding success?

What will transpire in the Adelaide test is anyone’s guess. One thing’s for certain though. Don’t expect to see day-night test matches in England for the foreseeable future. It might be feasible in a hundred years, if climate change turns our weather all Mediterranean, but until then it will be about as practical as eating five scones and six jam tarts before opening the bowling.

James Morgan         

10 comments

  • The obvious problem with day-night Tests in the UK is exemplified by the old Gillette Cup problem. A heavy dew in Sreptember at Lords and the ball would be unplayable for the first hour. With day-night Tests, the opposite applies, around sunset, an onset of dew would liven up a pitch and change the nature of the game.

    • Let me comment on the statistical integrity first.

      And statistical integrity was not threatened when Test status to several games was given AFTER the game? Several players died, without ever knowing that they had actually played Test cricket.

      (Statistical) integrity apparently was also not threatened by the fact that several players represented both England and Australia in the early days? And if we bring up ODIs or T20s, the integrity will be even more questionable. Just imagine what the British or Australian press were to write about David Warner representing England henceforth. Or Joe Root representing Australia from now onwards …

      The statistical integrity was not threatened by three day Tests? 4-ball overs? 8-ball overs? Or going from 6 to 5 day Tests? Timeless Tests? Bowling 120+ overs in a day? It was not threatened when players bet against their own team? Statistical integrity was not threatened by biased umpiring (no-balling Murali comes to mind for instance)? Political interference in selection? Money driven scheduling?

      I am not sure if the pink ball will work. But it is definitely worth a shot, especially for places close to the equator. It certainly would help with the attendance.

      If the issue is the seam, surely it must be possible to do something about the stitching? I am really not sure what would make the ball do more to be honest. Could be a temporary flaw in the production process – quite possible, since it would make no sense for producers to make thousands of these balls, if there is no future for them.

      England had their love-in with the Dukes for a particular year too (can’t remember if it was production year 2010 or 2011). Apparently the bunch of the next year did not do as much as the balls that were used in 2011. So it is not like it is only a “problem” that is peculiar to the pink ball.

  • All for giving day-night Tests a go – and if the pink ball makes it possible, let’s go for it. We’re used to our home Tests getting a decent crowd, if not always a sell out, and forget that attendances are not as good overseas. If day-night Tests allow people to come to the game after work, that’s surely got to be better than a day game before a mostly empty ground. More than perhaps any other sport, “tradition” is too often cited in cricket as an excuse to resist change.

  • I don’t see a problem with day/night tests in those parts of the world with a reliable climate, i.e. anywhere bar the UK and all bar the most northerly parts of NZ, where in the height of summer they could probably get away with a day/nighter. Perhaps the manufacture of the balls may need to improve but I’m sure this can be done in due course. If it can help improve the popularity of watching test matches in Asia and possibly West Indies, then it has to be something that is pursued.

  • I’d try an experiment in England with the playing hours.

    Certain grounds (think Headingley & Southampton) may benefit from the following session times.

    1-3 3.30-5.30 6-8

    Sell part day tickets, might encourage shift workers, students etc.,

    • That might be worth trying Neil, especially with flood lights as a backup on a gloomy day. In fact, it seems so obvious that there must be a reason theyve not tried it before? They play ODIs at those later hours.

      • I’d only do it in June/July.
        Really thinking about that difficult 2nd test of the summer that is such a hard sell.
        You get a nice day in June and the after work crowd could really enjoy a session (of cricket)

  • The long twilight, and the apparent difficulty of seeing the ball at dusk, is often given as a reason for why day/night games have never quite caught on in England compared with other cricketing countries. But if we sorted out the visibility problem, whether by changing the ball or other means, it’d certainly be worth a try.

  • Surely you can play 6-8pm in July in England with lights or even 6:30 – 8:30? The Oval test in 2013 in late August ended because of bad light after 7:30 with a red ball. With a pink ball and lights you could do this in early mid July surely?

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