Cricket’s pink ball Test, scheduled for Adelaide on November 27, continues to divide the cricket world.
Many of those in the frame to participate in the historic maiden day-night Test continue to voice their concerns.
In the aftermath of Friday’s Prime Minister’s XI pink ball fixture against New Zealand, Adam Voges and Peter Siddle questioned the ball’s suitability for the Test arena.
Voges was the most vocal, saying players’ records in day-night Tests should be quarantined from their normal Test match statistics.
The 36-year-old, who was named vice-captain for the cancelled Bangladesh tour, was highly critical of the state of the ball after the PM XI’s match, saying “the ball that got hit onto the roof [by Martin Guptill] and didn’t come back was 28 overs old and it looked like it was 68 overs old”.
“To be honest it didn’t hold up very well at all … it looked as though the lacquer had come off and it was basically turning green … there were bits of pink left but it was probably more green than pink at the end.”
POLL RESULT: With almost 500 votes cast, Roarers have voted that the Test match should go ahead:
That was after a 50-over game.
In Test matches there is a requirement to bowl 80 overs before an automatic new ball is available.
The level of scarring on the balls used at Manuka Oval again raises concern as to whether the pink ball can satisfactorily go the distance in a Test innings.
Siddle echoed Voges’ comments, saying: “The pink started to disappear pretty quickly …. and it’s a bit hard to shine. It’s not like the red ball where you can sort of buff it up and get it nice and shiny. You can’t really do that with this ball.”
Kiwi opener Tom Latham, whose 131 earned him man-of-the-match honours in Canberra, said the team noticed that the pink ball deteriorated significantly quicker than a standard red ball when the squad spent a couple of days trialling it last week in Hamilton.
Back in June Mitchell Starc was strident in his criticism of the concept of using a pink ball in Test matches.
“We don’t want a ball that’s not going to swing. It goes soft pretty quickly and it definitely reacts very, very differently to the red ball,” was his response to questions about how he felt about the upcoming debut of the pink ball.
“I couldn’t see the thing at night on the boundary. I couldn’t see the ball. I’m yet to be convinced.”
Cricket Australia ordered the pink balls used in Canberra to be sent to Melbourne post-match for assessment on the level of deterioration.
Kookaburra, the long-term manufacturer of the traditional red ball, has also developed the new pink one over the past four years.
The company is adamant that the new ball represents only a “subtle” change for the players.
It pointed to the fact that the one-day pitch rolled out at Manuka would by nature be far more abrasive than the likely Test strip in Adelaide, hence the greater scuffing.
Kookaburra managing director Brett Elliott is adamant that no cricket ball has ever been subjected to the level of testing and scrutiny that the new pink ball has.
Yet despite that, the chorus of discontent from the players on both sides of the Tasman has been considerable.
The level of dissatisfaction from the players has even led to former Test keeper Greg Dyer, now the president of the Australian Cricketers Association, to say that it was still not too late to scrap the use of the pink ball at Adelaide and revert to a standard daytime fixture.
CA will be loath to do that given it – and particularly its CEO James Sutherland – has been at the forefront of the push towards day-night Test cricket.
Its stance is that the introduction of day-night Tests will see a larger audience through the turnstiles and larger future TV rights deals given broadcasters will be able to run advertising during peak viewing times.
CA says that ticket sales to date for Adelaide have been akin to those of an Ashes Test.
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh added his support to the Adelaide experiment by saying he was a strong proponent for day-night Tests while he was a member of the MCC’s world cricket committee a decade ago.
Regardless of what the administrators and certain past players are saying the current day players who are in line for selection for Adelaide are questioning whether the concept is being launched too early as they believe there is still not a viable ball available.
The question is, are they being too be precious or should the concept be delayed until greater consensus can be reached between all interested parties?
Vote here:
Simoc
Guest
So Rob maybe it's because people who are at work can view the evening sessions live, or at home. Players never accept change. Their careers are on the line. And so is test crickets longevity. Pretty much no one watches in South Africa despite their great team. Players always say they love test cricket but the fact is the fun and money is playing in front of big crowds, and only Ashes series in the world of cricket have that. The other is TV ratings and guess what wins. Ask a fast bowler if he would prefer to bowl four overs for $20000 and spend less than two hours in front of a big crowd or bowl twelve overs in the hot sun for the love of his country. They may be stupid but not that stupid! As we'll find out with the pink ball no-one will remember what all the fuss was about in a few years time. it will probably be all that Adam Voges is remembered for.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
I'm not against the Day Night Test, I do find it bizarre though that we are using the series against NZ as our "tipping the toe in the water"!!!! Why didn't we save it for the West Indies? Let's face it that serious is going to be so one sided a little Day Night Test experiment would of been perfect?
Andy
Guest
Ok so some people are fools but thats not really an argument, why is quarantining stats, at least temporarily, foolish? What happens if day night tests are deemed a failure and scrapped after 6 months, it would be unfair to include stats. Im not saying that we should have completely separate stats forever just for a bit until we find out if there is a noticeable difference between day night tests and normal tests. Or at least talk about that possibility instead of merely calling it foolish.
Bugo
Guest
hahahaha.
slane
Guest
Both teams will be playing with the Pink ball, yeah? So how is this even an issue?
Dead Account
Roar Pro
Yeah, but it looks like the pink one is worse, I think they should just all wear pink and play with the white balls haha.
Dead Account
Roar Pro
Haha oops, I didn't think of that. Would be a lot easier to not wear white though as Chris says.
George Utley
Guest
Yes. Just like Kerry Packer should not have rushed into day/night cricket, ODI's, drop-in pitches, professional-level remuneration, white balls and coloured clothing without extensive trials, all for the sake of his TV network, and all at unsuitable venues. As we were often told at the time,it threatened the very integrity of cricket!
mattyb
Guest
I vote just play the game,see what happens and matths argument to any nonsense talk.
Lancey5times
Guest
So what is the poll result?
Timmuh
Roar Guru
jamesb, I agree completely about using the natural light. For the Adelaide Test, most of the final session could be played using a red ball in natural light in east coast prime time. If they started play at 12:00 Adelaide time and used the extended natural light. Play would then finish at 7:00 or so Adelaide time, still with plenty of daylight. It would not give as much prime time for Nine, but the issues with the ball could be worked on for a few more years until they are actually sorted and properly trialled. Even better would be to play the ODIs now and start the Tests later in the summer, when more people have the day off anyway and the days are longer still - although that wouldn't work so well v NZ or SA as they have their home summers to get back to.
TheTruth
Guest
That's a very good point in regards to broadcast rights costing. I cant imagine Nine paying as much for games beginning at 11pm as they do for games starting in primetime.
Chris
Guest
I would absolutely go to that.
Chris
Guest
I assumed it was because the white ball struggles to get to 50 overs as it is.... if it's actually to do with the uniforms then that's ridiculous. Put a different shirt on. Problem solved.
Chris
Guest
A good point and well made.
Rob na Champassak
Roar Guru
Yeah, except most of those changes were made to either make the players safer or to improve the quality of the game. Day-Night Test cricket is not about safety or improving the quality of the game, it is just about getting a few more bums on seats plain and simple. And for such a big change to the conditions in which the game is played I really can't see it having much effect on crowd attendances. As I said above, people who won’t turn up on Saturday aren’t likely to come along on Monday night.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Would making it a day game on the same days be that much of a headache?
mds1970
Roar Guru
They've already sold tickets. It would be a logistical nightmare to have to do refunds etc if they change the fixture now. And I think the public would lose confidence in booking tickets in advance if they were rescheduled two years in a row.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I don't think anyone will be surprised I voted "no", given my previous article. http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/10/25/the-day-night-test-must-be-abandoned/ I think its a fine idea, once a ball of whatever colour is proven and provided it is only at suitable venues. Then, and only after extensive trials, by all means play a day/night Test. Rushing it due to a TV network is risking the very integrity of Test cricket.
Julian King
Roar Guru
There's never a perfect solution, but this is happening so the players need to accept it. They shouldn't bite the hand that feeds them.