No team sport scrutinises the colour of the ball quite like cricket, where “red-ball” and “white-ball” have become shorthand for the game’s multi-day and one-day formats. This Thursday at Brisbane’s Gabba, however, Australia and England will contest the second Ashes Test using a pink ball.
The match will be just the 25th pink-ball Test in the format’s 148-year history. This innovation was devised to make five-day cricket playable at night, as the traditional dark red ball is difficult to see under floodlights. The later start times allow fans to attend after work and push the final session into primetime television slots, boosting the sport’s finances.
Yet, the specifics of the ball are fundamental to how a match unfolds. While sharing the same core of cork and yarn wrapped in stitched leather, the manufacturing of red, pink, and white balls differs subtly in the dyeing, polishing, and lacquering process. These small disparities create distinct behaviours that international bowlers can feel and exploit.
Approved for Test use only a decade ago, the pink ball is the newest and most mistrusted of the three. Many players find its lateral movement unpredictable and believe it has an outsized impact on the game. “I don’t think you need it in an Ashes series — absolutely not,” said England batter Joe Root. “I don’t think it’s as good as traditional Test cricket. But it’s in the schedule.”
Much of the controversy centres on the “Twilight Zone,” the period when dusk settles and the floodlights take full effect. Former England bowler Stuart Broad calls it “a bit of a lottery,” a view echoed by many who find batting significantly more difficult during this phase.
The data suggests the toss also becomes disproportionately important. In pink-ball Tests, the team batting first has won 62.5 per cent of matches, compared to 49 per cent in red-ball Tests over the same period, as they begin their innings in daylight.
Australia enters the Brisbane Test with a formidable day-night record, having won 13 of their 14 pink-ball matches. Their only loss came at the Gabba in January 2024, when West Indies sealed a historic victory. “Facing the pink ball during the daytime, it seems like the flattest track in the world,” recalled West Indies wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva. “But as that little ‘Twilight Zone’ hits… the ball starts to dance all over.”
However, scientific analysis suggests this perception is misleading. Aaron Briggs, who holds a PhD in the aerodynamics of cricket ball swing, says the issue is visibility, not movement. “Ball-tracking data tells us you don’t see any indication that the ball swings or seams more in twilight,” he explains. “The difficulty stems from the fact that it’s just not as easy to see the ball. In twilight, you transition from tracking a dark object on a light background to a light object on a dark background. Your reaction time increases substantially.”
Former England captain Alastair Cook believes the problem is “when the floodlights shine off the pink leather,” making the black seam difficult to pick up. As a countermeasure, Australia’s Steve Smith was seen wearing anti-glare “eye blacks” during a floodlit net session.
While the ball may not physically move more, the belief that it does can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “When people think that conditions are suitable for swing bowling, they attempt the skills at a much higher rate,” Briggs notes. The result is a statistically proven challenge: in Australia, a wicket in a pink-ball Test’s final session falls every 45.1 balls, compared to every 52.8 balls in the first two sessions.
This dynamic can inspire unusual tactics, such as England captain Ben Stokes’s strategic declaration against New Zealand in 2023, which gave his bowlers a crucial period under lights and led to a decisive victory. But the format’s altered rhythm also takes a physical toll. “You go back to the hotel, it gets to midnight, and your head is still busy,” said New Zealand’s Neil Wagner. “I felt shattered.”
Overthinking the pink ball’s influence can also be a pitfall. In 2021, England picked four seamers for a day-night Test in Ahmedabad, expecting swing. India instead selected three spinners who exploited the dry pitch to take 19 wickets and secure a 10-wicket win.
Furthermore, the pink ball tends to stop swinging earlier than the red ball, an effect exacerbated by the post-COVID ban on using saliva for polishing. England, with far less pink-ball experience than Australia, faces a significant challenge. Their hopes may rest on the fact that Australia’s sole day-night defeat occurred at the Gabba.
Ultimately, the match may be decided by the one player who has mastered the format: Mitchell Starc. The Australian fast bowler has taken 81 wickets in pink-ball Tests, nearly double the next best, and stands as the greatest threat to England’s chances.
Source link
