Cricketers see red over pink ball
The historic day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand starting on November 27th has already caused enough stir to make news of it. A lot of former and the current crop of players have criticised the pink ball that is going to be introduced for the first time in the longest version of the game, reports IBNLive.
Yet there has been scepticism and criticism of the new-type ball, designed to be more visible under lights than the traditional red one, with several players speaking out against it.
Although the manufacturers have defended the make of the ball, some of the players seem to be less than impressed with it. Australian batsman Adam Voges questioned the pink balls’ suitability to Test cricket, saying it is unlikely to last the required 80 overs.
"Both balls got chewed up pretty quickly," Voges said after Friday's Prime Minister's XI one-day game against the Black Caps. "There wasn't much pink left on it by the end of the game."
Tom Latham, who opened the batting for New Zealand in the tour game agreed with the fact that the pink ball worsened in its seam condition and no one expected it to deteriorate that quickly.
However, Brett Elliot, the Managing Director of the ball manufacturing firm Kookaburra defended their latest product, billing it as perfectly suited to Test cricket.
"It is as close to the red ball as we could make it," he told Australian Associated Press."Players have become very skilled at adapting to the different playing conditions around the world.”
"In England, they have to get used to the different pitches and weather conditions and the Duke ball. In India, they play in completely different conditions again and use an SG ball,” Elliot stated.
"The pink ball is probably the most insignificant or the most subtle change that they've had to deal with because in essence it's just a replication of the red," he said.
Australian speedster Josh Hazlewood has some reservations of his own regarding the pink ball, questioning its visibility under the floodlights.
"The time when the sun is setting, those fielders square of the wicket, when there's someone like (New Zealand captain) Brendon McCullum batting, it's going to come pretty quickly whether you're at backward point or square leg,” said Hazlewood.
Hazlewood is not the only cricketer who has voiced his reservations over the use of pink balls in day-night Tests, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting also came out earlier this week to say that he was always against the Cricket Australia initiative to use pink balls in Tests, and said that it would be going against the tradition of the game.