Pink ball in daily tests? Shaun Pollock’s bold idea to tackle bad light sparks debate

L-R: Shaun Pollock; and South Africa batting at stumps on Day 4 of the first Test against Australia in Durban. Former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock has called for pink balls to be used in traditional day-time Test matches to minimize loss of playing time due to poor light, reigniting debate over whether cricket should reconsider its long-standing red-ball convention.Pollock’s suggestion comes after persistent weather setbacks marred the ongoing first Test between South Africa and Australia at Kingsmead in Durban, with only 221 of the scheduled 270 overs bowled over the first three days. The game finally enjoyed an extended spell of uninterrupted sunshine on Monday, but South Africa were left facing a daunting target of 421 after Australia’s second-innings declaration.At stumps on Day 4, the hosts were struggling at 102/4, Aiden Markram unbeaten on 45 and Australia firmly in control going into the final day.

“You can’t play Test cricket in bad light”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently allowed the trial use of pink balls in one-day Test matches, provided both captains agree to a pre-match agreement. Once approved, the pink ball must be used throughout the match, with no option to switch back to the traditional red ball.Pollock believes this option deserves serious consideration, especially when poor light threatens to cut into valuable playing time.“I’m not saying for a second that we should have used the pink ball and played a day-night game,” Pollock told Fox Sports.“I just believed we should have used the pink ball for the day’s game. It’s not irrelevant because if you use a red ball, suddenly you can’t play Test cricket in bad light, but if you use pink you can,” he said.The former Proteas star’s argument centers on the visibility advantage offered by the pink ball, potentially allowing umpires to continue play in conditions where it would no longer be considered safe to use a red ball.With Test cricket increasingly under pressure to maximize playing time, Pollock’s suggestion raises the question of whether tradition should take precedence when the weather threatens to affect the outcome of a match.

Pollock questions whether the teams would agree in a high-stakes test

Pollock also questioned whether teams would be willing to accept a change when the stakes are particularly high, suggesting that a theoretical deal could become more complicated when a significant outcome is on the line.“If it was a final or a game where you had to win to get into the final of the World Test Championship and it was 1-all in the series, and Australia were playing South Africa and you said to them, ‘Let’s use the pink ball because we’re going to lose 100 overs in bad light’, do you think they would agree or not?” he asked.His comments highlight a potential obstacle to the ICC trial: the requirement that both captains agree before the match. While the pink ball could help reduce weather-related disruptions, teams may be reluctant to embrace a format with which they have limited experience.

Ashwell Prince upholds the tradition of red ball cricket

However, South Africa’s senior assistant coach Ashwell Prince remains firm in favor of the traditional red ball for one-day Tests, saying the differences in experience between the teams could make a deal difficult.“For me, outside of a day-night Test, it has to be the red ball. I think obviously some nations have played a lot more pink-ball cricket than others, so it’s always going to be a challenge to get both captains to agree.”“For both captains to agree to that, some teams will feel they just don’t have enough experience with it, so I think it would be very difficult to get both captains to agree to that. But for me, you know, Test matches are a red ball,” Prince said.The conflicting views underline the problem facing cricket authorities as they consider ways to protect playing time without compromising the character of the longest format.