Pink ball for cricket

I am a traditionalist, I think it's a stupid idea,
I can also see a 1 hour session at dusk having a huge impact on a game where a team might lose 4 for bugger all.
I also saw a photo on fox sports of the ball, who are they trying to kid.
In saying that channel nine pays the bills and they want to show test cricket at night so it must be good.
Discuss.

Haven't really followed the link ball debate. Love the idea of more cricket at night so I'm sold.

Sashamaloo wrote:I am a traditionalist, I think it's a stupid idea,
I can also see  a 1 hour session at dusk having a huge impact on a game where a team might lose 4 for bugger all.
I also saw a photo on fox sports of the ball, who are they trying to kid.
In saying that channel nine pays the bills and they want to show test cricket at night so it must be good.
Discuss.

,

I'm not blaming channel 9. Cricket needs to pay the bills, it needs to evolve and it needs to give it's market what it wants. Times have changed when business shut down for a month over december / January and everyone had the time off to watch cricket through the day. Today, those of us lucky enough have a TV set up in the office dont miss out, but the thought of coming home after work to 4-5 hours of cricket or if it is in WA getting a whole day viewing is a win win win. For cricket Australia, me and channel 9.

Saying that I have seen and read the article your post is based on At least for this first test it does appear that the Australians from their trialling have found a flaw in the pink ball in that it behaves very differently in daylight as opposed to twilight. Meaning the toss will determine the winner, which really is not a lot different from a sub continent test.

t's a work in progres and if it means a handful of test results are affected, in the scheme of things does the end justify the means ??

After last nights results maybe it isn't that clear cut.

Your Name wrote:After last nights results maybe it isn't that clear cut.

 So much for it being harder to bat at twilight. It's still too early to judge though, Cowan did get dropped twice so the score could potentially have been quite different. Does Starc get the pink ball moving like he does the white one?

Sashamaloo wrote:I am a traditionalist, I think it's a stupid idea,
I can also see  a 1 hour session at dusk having a huge impact on a game where a team might lose 4 for bugger all.
I also saw a photo on fox sports of the ball, who are they trying to kid.
In saying that channel nine pays the bills and they want to show test cricket at night so it must be good.
Discuss.

Loved the idea, love test match cricket, Pink ball looked great, crowds full. Result not dictated by toss or a particular period of the game. Something there for all players. Massive success, cant wait for the next one.

I'm not sure if it's all down to the pink ball but it was nice to see the bowlers get the upper hand for a change. It's must be disillusioning for a quick to walk out and look at a pitch like was served up in perth.

So it was over in 3 days and there has been time to digest.

India's Ravi Shastri rightly gives it to Haydo and the likes for bagging their spinners dust bowl which Nagpur was producing a result in 3 days.

But our excuse was the pink ball s still a work in progress and the deck had to be left a little green & soft so the ball held up for 80 overs and nobody had egg on their face.

The fear of night sessions producing batting collapses and skewed results was not realised

Day-night Test: Session-by-session breakdown
Day 1
Afternoon: 2-80 from 28 overs
Evening: 5-93 from 28 overs
Night: 5-83 from 31.2 overs
Day 2
Afternoon: 6-62 from 29.5 overs
Evening: 2-130 from 27 overs
Night: 5-94 from 30 overs
Day 3
Afternoon: 5-92 from 25.5 overs
Evening: 3-113 from 28 overs
Night: 4-74 from 23 overs
TOTALS
Afternoon: 13-234 from 83.4 overs
Evening: 10-336 from 85 overs
Night: 14-251 from 84.2 overs

But what is the day/night's future ??

Peak viewing stats of 3.1 million in prime time was a bloody good result
123K through the doors in 3 days (admittedly some would have been for the novelty factor) another bloody good result

So where do you play it ?

Perth - midnight isn't exactly prime time. With digital channels you get to watch the Perth test in prime time anyway.
Sydney & Melbourne - It's xmas/new year holidays. Nobody is at work and everyone wants to drink piss in the sun. Already get great crowds and are an institution.
Brisbane - Leave a little extra grass on the GABBA and play through the humidity of late afternoon. It would be deadlier than a Charlie Sheen slumber party.
That leaves Adelaide & Hobart. Who share a test year about ?

Seems a lot of work for maybe 1 test a year, because away tests will fall outside prime time regardless.

Your Name wrote:So it was over in 3 days and there has been time to digest.

India's Ravi Shastri rightly gives it to Haydo and the likes for bagging their spinners dust bowl which Nagpur was producing a result in 3 days.

But our excuse was the pink ball s still a work in progress and the deck had to be left a little green & soft so the ball held up for 80 overs and nobody had egg on their face.

The fear of night sessions producing batting collapses and skewed results was not realised

Day-night Test: Session-by-session breakdown
Day 1
Afternoon: 2-80 from 28 overs
Evening: 5-93 from 28 overs
Night: 5-83 from 31.2 overs
Day 2
Afternoon: 6-62 from 29.5 overs
Evening: 2-130 from 27 overs
Night: 5-94 from 30 overs
Day 3
Afternoon: 5-92 from 25.5 overs
Evening: 3-113 from 28 overs
Night: 4-74 from 23 overs
TOTALS
Afternoon: 13-234 from 83.4 overs
Evening: 10-336 from 85 overs
Night: 14-251 from 84.2 overs

But what is the day/night's future ??

Peak viewing stats of 3.1 million in prime time was a bloody good result
123K through the doors in 3 days (admittedly some would have been for the novelty factor) another bloody good result

So where do you play it ?

Perth - midnight isn't exactly prime time. With digital channels you get to watch the Perth test in prime time anyway.
Sydney & Melbourne - It's xmas/new year holidays. Nobody is at work and everyone wants to drink piss in the sun. Already get great crowds and are an institution.
Brisbane - Leave a little extra grass on the GABBA and play through the humidity of late afternoon. It would be deadlier than a Charlie Sheen slumber party.
That leaves Adelaide & Hobart. Who share a test year about ?

Seems a lot of work for maybe 1 test a year, because away tests will fall outside prime time regardless.

If it helps get a crowd in Brisbane then it's worth trying there. That would give 3 tests with primetime TV coverage and Sydney and Melbourne on when nobody is at work.

Just because both tests finished inside 3 days, doesn't mean both pitches were ok. I generally have no real issue with a pitch that turns, but when a surface is cracking and the ball is doing unnatural things on day ONE, like it clearly was in nagpur, then there is an issue. The Adelaide pitch was completely consistent and a "TEST" of the batsmens skills in an environment that offered something also to the bowlers. Nagpur was a lottery, gave the batsmen no hope with zero consistency of bounce and behavior of ball. The test was NEVER going to go for 5 days, but Adelaide might have with more application from Batsmen adept at playing the ball that swings in the air, as opposed to turning at right angles off the pitch.

The WACA was a batsmens paradise, granted, but it could still have produced a result given an earlier declaration and some intent from the Kiwis to chase the runs. It should without question offer more for the bowlers though i future and CA should move to make sure in future it more closely resembles pitches of WACA past.

Ice wrote:

Sashamaloo wrote:I am a traditionalist, I think it's a stupid idea,
I can also see  a 1 hour session at dusk having a huge impact on a game where a team might lose 4 for bugger all.
I also saw a photo on fox sports of the ball, who are they trying to kid.
In saying that channel nine pays the bills and they want to show test cricket at night so it must be good.
Discuss.

Loved the idea, love test match cricket, Pink ball looked great, crowds full. Result not dictated by toss or a particular period of the game.  Something there for all players. Massive success, cant wait for the next one.

Agreed.  Was awesome coming home and being able to watch it through the night.  And the pink ball held it's condition well.

Ice wrote:Just because both tests finished inside 3 days, doesn't mean both pitches were ok.  I generally have no real issue with a pitch that turns, but when a surface is cracking and the ball is doing unnatural things on day ONE, like it clearly was in nagpur, then there is an issue.  The Adelaide pitch was completely consistent and a "TEST" of the batsmens skills in an environment that offered something also to the bowlers.  Nagpur was a lottery, gave the batsmen no hope with zero consistency of bounce and behavior of ball.  The test was NEVER going to go for 5 days, but Adelaide might have with more application from Batsmen adept at playing the ball that swings in the air, as opposed to turning at right angles off the pitch.

The WACA was a batsmens paradise, granted, but it could still have produced a result given an earlier declaration and some intent from the Kiwis to chase the runs.  It should without question offer more for the bowlers though i future and CA should move to make sure in future it more closely resembles pitches of WACA past.

Since Ramesh isn't here I feel obliged to point out that your making a very weak Australian biased argument. Why should more swing be encouraged but not spin? As for the WACA it's been 10 years since it was more then a batters paradise, it's a myth. The GABBA has offerred more for the bowlers for years. It's no wonder we get flogged overseas.

Ice wrote:Just because both tests finished inside 3 days, doesn't mean both pitches were ok.  I generally have no real issue with a pitch that turns, but when a surface is cracking and the ball is doing unnatural things on day ONE, like it clearly was in nagpur, then there is an issue.  The Adelaide pitch was completely consistent and a "TEST" of the batsmens skills in an environment that offered something also to the bowlers.  Nagpur was a lottery, gave the batsmen no hope with zero consistency of bounce and behavior of ball.  The test was NEVER going to go for 5 days, but Adelaide might have with more application from Batsmen adept at playing the ball that swings in the air, as opposed to turning at right angles off the pitch.

Don't often agree with you Ice but amazingly you have finally managed to hit the nail on the head.

Ice wrote:Just because both tests finished inside 3 days, doesn't mean both pitches were ok.  I generally have no real issue with a pitch that turns, but when a surface is cracking and the ball is doing unnatural things on day ONE, like it clearly was in nagpur, then there is an issue.  The Adelaide pitch was completely consistent and a "TEST" of the batsmens skills in an environment that offered something also to the bowlers.  Nagpur was a lottery, gave the batsmen no hope with zero consistency of bounce and behavior of ball.  The test was NEVER going to go for 5 days, but Adelaide might have with more application from Batsmen adept at playing the ball that swings in the air, as opposed to turning at right angles off the pitch.

The WACA was a batsmens paradise, granted, but it could still have produced a result given an earlier declaration and some intent from the Kiwis to chase the runs.  It should without question offer more for the bowlers though i future and CA should move to make sure in future it more closely resembles pitches of WACA past.

Exactly. I think criticism of Indian turners is often overstated, but I read that in the last 6 Indian Tests, 5 were over in 3 days or less. The other had over 3 days lost due to rain.

Different parts of the world should be encouraged to have their own conditions, and I have no problem with India dishing up wickets where you have 2 front line spinners every test + a part timer. To me though, it doesn't seem right to have a spinner opening the bowling every innings including the first innings of a test. Coming into the current test being played there, the 4 non-spinners playing (Morkel, Abbott, Yadav & Sharma) had played 6 tests between them for 6 wickets, all of them to Morkel. Yadav bowled 9 overs in his only test, and Sharma 30 in his 2 tests, this is despite them going for only just over 2 per over each. ABDV is the only SA player averaging over 25 with the bat this series, and there are only 4 Indians who have. Vijay averaging 41.4 is the only batsman averaging over 35.