ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – A pink ball that cricket officials hope will hold the key to future day/night Test matches passed a successful first-day trial in a match to mark the opening of the new English County season.
The pink ball was part of a four-match trial during the recent West Indies first-class season, and now the Marylebone Cricket Club, the so-called guardians of spirit of the game, and Durham are involved in what will be a make-or-break experiment in the heat of the UAE.
Media reports indicate the ball caused Durham’s batsmen few problems, as openers Michael Di Venuto and Kyle Coetzer both made hundreds and the reigning English County champions finished the day on 329 for three against the MCC XI in the traditional opener to the English season.
“The game has to make a decision about which road they want to go down in Test cricket,” John Stephenson, the MCC’s head of cricket, told The Daily Telegraph.
“Overall the comments from players have been pretty good. We have had the odd one saying they can’t pick it up against a dark backdrop, but you get that kind of thing with anything new.
Stephenson noted that Test cricket has not changed in many years and people were willing to try something different to keep interest in this form of the game, particularly with the more entertaining Twenty20 gaining plenty of traction.
“Whenever we try things we are always going to take a bit of flak, but floodlit Test cricket is generating momentum now and in places like New Zealand and the West Indies they want to look at it,” he said.
“Maybe that is not the case in England, but it is not all about Test cricket in this country. It is about the health of Test cricket around the World, and we have got to have a serious look at this.”
The major hurdle to floodlit Tests has always been the quality of the ball, with the traditional red cheery hard to pick up under floodlights, and the white ball used in limited-overs versions loses its colour and shape quickly.
But the MCC and the game’s authorities believe the pink ball has a bright future.
