Pink ball to be used in Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy, which will be held in Greater Noida from 23 Aug to 14 Sep will become the first official BCCI tournament to use the pink ball. The pink ball was introduced to provide better visibility to players and so that the day-night format of the game could be revived. Officials said they expected day-night matches to draw larger crowds.
Day/night cricket, also known as floodlit cricket is a term that is used to refer to cricket matches that are played either totally, or more usually partially, under floodlights in the evening.
Although cricket has been played in England since the 17th century, test cricket is widely dated back to 1877. Australia and England were involved in the first-ever Test match at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in March 1877. Australia won it by 45 runs. It ended after 4 days of play. Australia's opener Charles Bannerman hit the first-ever Test century (165) in the same match.
On 30 October 2012, International Cricket Council (ICC)- the game's world governing body, gave the green signal to play day-night Test with coloured balls. In June 2015, Australia and New Zealand's cricket boards announced that they will play a day-night Test. Representing the evolution of the game, the change has been made largely as a way forward to attract fans back to the grounds.
In one-day internationals the deteriorating ball is changed after 25 overs for a pristine one. A ball in a five-day match, on the other hand, must last a long time. Fielding sides only get the chance of a new one every 80 overs.
Traditionally, red ball is used for Test cricket. However, it is not as visible at night, unlike during the day. Also, the usage of white balls wouldn't work for five-day matches, since they are quickly stained by the grass. This brings forward the technical challenge of manufacturing a ball which serves both the puposes of visibility and durability; the 'Pink ball' solves these issues.
Kookaburra is the manufacturer of the pink ball. Kookaburra went through 16 shades of pink to get the most suitable tint. According to Kookaburra managing director Brett Elliott, there is no difference between the performance of pink and red/white balls.
Not everyone is convinced about the pink ball. Players say that the pink ball softens more quickly than a traditional red one. After a trial in Australian domestic matches last year, 94% of the players said pink balls showed different signs of "wear and tear". Only 11% thought the experiment a success. Most recently, Australian batsman Adam Voges also voiced his criticism against it.
Australia's Adelaide Oval is hosting the first ever day-night Test match, between Australia and New Zealand. The match which started on Friday afternoon was set to span five days and nights, and featured the 'pink ball' for the first time in Test history. Pink ball is the result of years of developments for the sole purpose of use in the day-night matches.
The historic pink-ball test match was won by Australia, thereby, clinching a 2-0 series victory over New Zealand.
The first ever pink-ball day-night Test matches were a great success and the cricket fans will see more of them in the future. There was a total attendance of 123,736 fans thronging the Adelaide Oval over 3 days. The opening day recorded the biggest attendance at the Adelaide Test with 47,441 people coming to see it. Nine Network recorded 3.19 million prime-time TV viewership.
BCCI announced that when New Zealand tours India, in the first Day/Night cricket Test hosted by BCCI, the pink ball will be used. However, before that, the pink ball will make its India debut during the Duleep Trophy tournament. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said the Duleep Trophy rehearsal will help BCCI determine how the "pink kookaburra behaves under the light in sub-continental conditions."
