Cricket: Aussies say not too late to abort day-night test over pink ball

The new pink cricket balls are seen during a New Zealand cricket training session at Seddon Park. Photo / Getty Images

The president of the Australian Cricketers' Association Greg Dyer says it is not too late for Cricket Australia to abort the looming day-night test against the Black Caps due to concerns about the pink ball.

The Sydney Morning Herald today reported that feedback from this weekend's opening round of domestic Sheffield Shield matches, where the pink ball will go on trial again, will be key to the stance taken by the players' union on the fate of the Adelaide Test which is due to start on November 27.

If the problems with the ball persist, the ACA will ask for the test to be played as a traditional day fixture. But Cricket Australia said yesterday that there were no plans to change the schedule.

The Herald reported that while the bulk of Australia's cricketers support the concept of day-night tests, "there are still worries the pink ball may not be up to scratch".

Dyer, the most senior official in the players' union, said day-night test cricket was too important an initiative for the game to fail but the ball issue had to be treated carefully.

"We called off a tour of Bangladesh at the very last minute, didn't we?" he said. "And I would have thought it's better to make that call if you think that's the case.

"I'm not saying we're at that point but if the players are expressing concern around it all I think we need to be very careful. We need to listen to the players and be absolutely confident that this thing is going to work. If it's not, we play that game as a normal day fixture.

"I'm sure there's lots of television scheduling and all sorts of issues around that but that's only if we're 100 per cent confident we'll be successful."

It took $A1 million in prizemoney to convince players from Australia and New Zealand to agree to the day-night test. There were concerns the pink ball would make life difficult when batting and bowling, and also in the field, particularly during dusk.

Aussie bowler Josh Hazlewood has said the ball could be hard to see for fielders square of the wicket while test incumbent Adam Voges said the ball used in the Prime Minister's XI match against the Kiwis in Canberra last week had become green.

Dyer told the Herald that next weekend's round of day-night shield matches would have a major impact.

"The feedback out of that is going to be decisive. There's a lot of players who are keen to see it [day-night tests] happen, I must say. This is not something we're getting a uniform discussion on. There are players who have different attitudes and views; coming to a consensus will not be a simple matter. A lot of the guys have said, quite rightly, what a good initiative, it's going to be a good thing for test cricket. I absolutely agree but we need to be real confident we're not going to have someone cleaned up in the gully because they couldn't pick it up."

Kookaburra, the manufacturer of the pink ball, has defended the product and blamed the abrasive pitch in Canberra for the troubles encountered there.

Group general manager Brett Elliot said the pink ball would deteriorate in a similar fashion to the traditional red variety.

"The ball naturally scuffs and deteriorates over the course of 80 overs like all balls. This is an essential characteristic of the cricket ball in order to ensure a balance between bat and ball. It also ensures skills like spin bowling are brought into the game," he said.

"The red ball scuffs and picks up the green from outfields and pitch; it's just that the contrast is more obvious on a coloured ball. The ball pictured looked well worn, the seams had all but worn away, which also suggests an abrasive pitch. The abrasiveness of pitch will have an impact on the ball as it's always done."

Cricket Australia is banking on the day-night concept rallying crowd support for the sport across the Tasman where attendances and TV ratings have been falling.

- nzherald.co.nz