Can Pink Ball Actually Revolutionise The Future Of Test Cricket?

With the introduction of pink ball in cricket, can Test Cricket find its mojo back?

New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum handing the pink ball to Doug Bracewell in the 1st ever pink ball test match between Australia and New Zealand. (Photo: AP)

There is something really exciting about the pink cricket ball. No, it is not its gleaming color which makes you want to hold it in your palms immediately. It is the fact that this little thing could end up revolutionising the game of Test cricket like never before.

Pink Ball And The Test Revolution

After being in news for a long time, we finally saw the debut of the pink ball in an international Test match at Adelaide last November where Australia took on New Zealand in the third and final match of the series. The match, which attracted an incredible amount of attention from the world over, was also the first official day-night Test match and finished in just three action-packed days.

The opinions after the match were a tad mixed with many, some players included, having certain reservations about the pink ball. Regardless, there was no denying that the pink ball certainly brought back interest in the Test match, something which it really needed in this slam-bang age of the T20s. In fact, that was the very reason why the inception of the pink ball took place: to bring back the crowd to the game and breathe a new lease of life in it. But will that actually happen? That is a question that needs some more time to be answered.

Australia’s Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood during the first pink ball test match between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide in November 2015. (Photo: AP)

For now, the pink ball Tests are to be tried more regularly in different cricketing nations and then, depending on how things pan out, a decision will be taken on whether the pink ball can be a genuine option for the future of Test cricket. The dividing opinions aside, the interest that this ball has generated and the possibilities it has opened up are truly exciting.

Let us try and dissect what exactly is both good and bad about the pink ball in a little more detail.

What’s good?

Pink ball day-night Tests can bring the rapidly falling interest back in the game and we should be up for it. Countries like the West Indies and the ones in the sub-continent are really struggling to bring the crowds in to the stadium during Test matches. With the pink ball Tests that is likely to change. Working people can finish their day’s work and grab the last couple of sessions of the Test with ease.

Then there is also the notion that the pink ball swings more. Although we would need a sufficient number of these Tests to determine this, whatever little we have seen of it does point towards that. A swinging ball would give more arsenal to the bowlers, who are struggling these days with big bats and flat surfaces, and should make matches more exciting as was the case in the Adelaide Test.

Playing the pink ball is not easy. It requires a different level of skill as the players who have played with it have pointed out. Batsmen – especially those of the sub-continent – would have to work on their technique more since at times they can get away easily on the flat surfaces there. The pink ball is likely to make batting more challenging and hence intriguing to watch.

What’s not?

The primary bone of contention with the pink balls seems to be its visibility, or the lack of it. A few Australian players like David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood after the Adelaide Test were not happy with the ball’s visibility and said they could not sight it whilst fielding in the deep.

Then it is being said that the pink ball goes softer much sooner than the red one which will make it difficult for the batsmen to sight it. It is also being said that for the pink ball to survive the duration of a five-day Test, it needs more grass on the pitch as a cushion and hence whether it would work on the abrasive surfaces of the sub-continent is being debated.

Also, apprehensions are being raised on whether the ball-tracking technology would be able to pick up the pink ball clearly once it loses its color. The biggest concern, though, is about the dew. In several stadiums in the sub-continent heavy dew kicks in soon during the evenings and hence day-night Tests there would not be viable. A lot, then, has to be looked into before pink ball Tests can become a regular feature.

So Where Are We Headed?

In June this year, India got to see its first local day-night multiday pink ball match when Mohun Bagan took on Bhowanipore in the CAB Super League final at the Eden Gardens. Attracting decent viewership, the 4-Day match had healthy feedback from the players. Pacers like Mohammad Shami were really impressed with the way the pink ball moved while batsmen like Manoj Tiwary found it challenging to tackle. This definitely is a good step ahead.

The pink ball.

The thing is, whenever something new is introduced in a sport, players are bound to be skeptical and resist the change. And when it is something as sacrosanct as Test cricket it is more likely to be the case. Yes, the pink ball is not without its flaws. But the issues with it need to be sorted out wisely because the benefits it offer cannot be ignored. The more matches are played with the ball, the more players and audiences will accept it and its inherent blemishes can then be ironed out.

About a couple of decades ago, the concept of day-night One-Day International (ODI) matches was first introduced to give the format a major fillip. The move worked wonders and today, one rarely sees a day ODI match. Back then too, the move was met with a lot of speculations and today, as we discuss the need to introduce day-night Test matches with pink balls, the game stands on the threshold of another revolution. It won’t be prudent to stand on the wrong side of it.