New Zealand's cricketers have raised concerns about the pink ball test and now Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc is adamant it's unsuitable and could pose a serious threat to the integrity and quality of the game.
New Zealand Cricket have agreed to play a day/night test against Australia in Adelaidestarting on November 27 as part of a three-test series.
New Zealand were initially opposed to the test, not wanting to be pink-ball guinea pigs, but the lure of a seven-year deal to play Australia more regularly and prizemoney of $1 million for this year's three-test series was too enticing to take a trenchant position.
But Starc has now come out and voiced his concerns about the match.
He played in the most recent trial of a pink ball last summer in a Sheffield Shield match between NSW and South Australia in Adelaide.
The left-armer has claimed the ball used just a few months ago reacts "nothing like" a red Kookaburra in terms of its firmness and swing and admits he "couldn't see the thing" while fielding and fears for those in the crowd.
"Personally, I couldn't see the thing at night on the boundary," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"I couldn't see the ball, so I'm not sure how the crowd are going to see it. It doesn't react anything like the red ball in terms of swing and the hardness of it anyway.
"It goes soft pretty quickly. I didn't see a huge amount of reverse swing in that game and I don't think it swung from memory too much until the artificial light took over.
"It definitely reacts very, very differently to the red ball. I'm yet to be convinced."
"Personally, I couldn't see the thing at night on the boundary." Photo / Getty Images
Players accept Cricket Australia's motivations for trying to progress and evolve the game but Starc feels the concept is being rushed through.
CA chief executive James Sutherland insists the balls have undergone years of testing and are ready for use.
Starc has called on Cricket Australia and the ICC to at least consider putting an asterix on match records to differentiate them from a normal test.
"Guys like Chris Rogers - whether he's available or not - the fact is he can't see the pink ball (due to being colour blind) and it means he can't play," Starc said.
"He's not the only player out there who is going to be affected by seeing the ball.
"Whether you have to start a whole new set of stats for the pink ball as you do with the red and white ball - it throws up a huge number of questions and theories about where the game is going."
As many as 17 of the 20 players with New Zealand Cricket contracts were initially against the concept.
"It's fair to say our players are nervous about the day-night test," said players' association boss Heath Mills.
"It's uncharted territory and because of that there will be uncertainty and apprehension.
"While the players have reservations about playing test cricket at night, they see the bigger picture in the new agreement, and the greater good it brings to all levels of the game in New Zealand."
New Zealand are guaranteed 10 test matches and eight Chappell-Hadlee series (28 ODIs) during the seven-year period.
While gates might not initially improve substantially, broadcast partner Channel Nine is expected to reap the benefits of more eyeballs tuning in during primetime.
The first test will be staged at Brisbane from November 5-9; the second at Perth from November 13-17, with at least two warm-up games under lights using a pink ball - ahead of the historic third test at Adelaide.
