A bunch of Britons went to Abu Dhabi to test out pink balls for day night first class and test cricket. It probably cost a few thousand dollars, and there were more English writers there than there were fans. It seems like a long way to go. I don’t like going anywhere further than my local cafe.
I could have helped shorten their travel time, I have pink balls (insert laugh track) in my home. The could have caught the tube to my place and then we could have walked to my local nets.
Plus, I’ve already tested them.
About 12 months ago I started teaching cricket to a bunch of women who loved the game but had never played it.
Being that these were women coming to the game very late I got some training balls, pink and orange. They are those softish plastic balls that still roughly imitate what a cricket ball does.
The orange balls, as found out by shield cricketers in the 90s when they tried day night shield games (sorry, MCC, but it has been done before), are useless.
They look good, but once the light gets bad, or the dusk settles in they might as well be bowling tiny little ball bearings at you.
I lost both of the orange balls, and I cared little.
The pink balls I still have, and if I lost them I would be sad.
They are the easiest colour to pick up out of the hand of any cricket ball I have ever used, without the benefit of a sight screen.
Obviously I haven’t just used pink and orange, in the past I have used red, white, and yellow.
Pink just seemed the best to see.
None of these tests were scientific; they involved different bowlers, difference actions, different clothing, different nets and much different form when I was batting.
I also haven’t been to Abu Dhabi to test them. So they may melt in the desert, plus they are plastic, and generally cricket balls are made of leather.
The basic problem with the pink balls is that anything that is not white is hard to see at dusk, and anything white gets dirty and doesn’t last.
I’ve never used the pink balls at night, my local parks have never provided floodlights for their nets, but it looks like they were pretty easy to see at night in Abu Dhabi, but not always as easy at dusk. Especially when Durham’s big fast men were let off the leash.
It seems that the pink ball trials well be continued, the Aussies are going to use them next summer
But if the ICC needs any more help in the testing stage, I am more than happy to take them down the nets, for a consulting fee, but I think it will be cheaper than going to Abu Dhabi, probably.
Giles Clarke probably has a pair of blue balls in his bedroom that have never been tested. Hope it stays that way.
.-= Mahek´s last blog ..FICA and the need for a Collective Bargaining Agreement – II =-.
Now watch the likes of Alastair Cook miraculously come into form in these matches…
Pink is just some sort of cross between white and red – could it really be that much better?
.-= Rishabh´s last blog ..“Who’s your Dada?!” screams Ganguly =-.
Apart from the difference in color, is there anything to the pink ball that is actually different than the usual one? If they are made of the same material, and are of the same dimensions, they should behave the same. Obviously, one of these constraints is violated in the case of pink balls – else this is just too much chatter for a different color.
And men should not be seen throwing pink balls at each other. Sorry.
Pink balls were trialled in the u/23 competition last summer in Australia, and the consensus was that they don’t last anywhere near 80 overs – I think they even needed to use a different ball at each end.
I’m not sure if there have been improvements made since then. I just find it weird that the latest bunch of analysis of the pink balls in the UAE all seemed to ignore the Australian trials.
DB, the ball lasted 90 overs in the first innings before it was changed in this match. They also kept their colour for all that time. The Australian trial was of kookaburra balls, these were of dukes. Apparently the MCC thought it was a success, and the ICC were not so convinced.
Unacceptable in a game for men. Unless they were a shade of hot (a.k.a. ‘porno’) pink. I could get off on that.
Will you eventually change the ball color in CWB logo to pink?
The only pink that can be tolerated on a cricket field is the bat handles. That too because it is a part of charity. Pink balls will forever stunt the growth of cricket. Which self respecting man would want to be seen playing with pink balls?
.-= Dhananjay Mhatre´s last blog ..Arz Hain (On Shoaib – Sania – Ayesha jhamela) =-.
well Arsh – they dint turn white.. so hopefully, they wont turn pink soon.. Hopefully!
Boy, Middlesex would be glad with the whole pinkathon going on..PINK PANTHERS
.-= Mock Wah´s last blog ..DLF IPL – DC CSK mixed fortunes =-.
pyjama cricket goes well with pink.
tennis switched to radioactive green, table tennis changed to fluorescent orange, i guess its time.
Have you not seen them Shaitaan – they are a rather fantastic ‘Hot Pink’. Porno Pink – I’d say so.
Most of the Durham team seem to have thought they were ok.
.-= SixSixEight´s last blog ..When Less, Has Got To Be Less: And Yet More! =-.
Ah SixSixEight, that’s all right then. I wa worried it would be the shade (mis)appropriated by the likes of Middlesex. (Why would a county named Middle-sex want any shade of pink on its uniforms, I ask you?)
But when u use the same in Sri Lanka or India’s dust bowl wkts the ball will lose color quicker than the cherry red, and will be a lot more difficult then to pick from the hand. Maybe suited for a shorter format. Tests highly unlikely.
.-= Mock Wah´s last blog ..DLF IPL – DC CSK mixed fortunes =-.
Pink balls in English bad light conditions do well – they are very visible. Red balls are really quite dark and can be quite difficult to pick up by comparison. In sandy dry conditions….who knows?
I have some crap pictures of ‘in English conditions’ here
http://planetdurham.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/the-mccs-pink-balls/
Why would Middlesex want to wear pink, Shaitaan? Because it makes them look good? Generally it takes the right sort of man to wear pink, and when they do they look fantastic! Women like pink, it can be very flattering, and judging by the amount of “but I’m his girlfriend” ‘s turning up at Middlesex matches particularly for Compton – it certainly does not do any harm.
Another rubbish picture of the lovely Tim Murtagh, wearing Middlesex pink.
http://planetdurham.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/the-mighty-tim-murtagh-top-scores-against-durham/
.-= SixSixEight´s last blog ..When Less, Has Got To Be Less: And Yet More! =-.
Yeah yeah, Jude Law in Alfie and all of that. But salmon pink’s the thing for the well-dressed sporting gent — not baby-doll, not coral, not cotton-candy — and preferably donned with a nice grey suit. Think of Mr Murtagh running in to bowl in that — much more ‘suited’ to an English green.
All that irrelevence aside, the pink balls seem to do their job — stay visible in bad light. As MW says though, I wouldn’t bet ‘em to last on the subcontinent.
Jude Law??? Euughggghggghhh – definitely a bloke that should stay away from pink, or generally being visible at all costs. Michael Caine on the other hand…..
In my book, Salmon pink is the most revolting shade of pink to wear, coral is also really dodgy – that is where most blokes go really wrong! Check out MCC members at a summer test……. sporting gents with money…bunch of badly co-ordinated sados. True pinks – so yes anything from cotton-candy to hot. With a sharp suit so much the better. Fashion Fascist lecture over.
.-= SixSixEight´s last blog ..When Less, Has Got To Be Less: And Yet More! =-.