New Zealand bowlers Neil Wagner and Matt Henry inspect the pink ball. Photo / Getty
Test cricket. Proper cricket rather than the collection of individuals in their garish costumes whose one day or night antics fuel the reactions of boorish spectators who challenge stadiums' capacity.
Now the dignified cadences of the five day game are about to be sullied by men using a ball of
pink hue when umpires Illingworth and Ravi oversee Friday's mid-afternoon start of play at the Adelaide Oval.
Discussions about the need for change will go up another level when years of pink-ball testing in lower grade and Sheffield Shield matches are converted into test match evaluation.
Cricket has canned timeless tests, uncovered wickets, a single form of the game, changed the no-ball laws, balls in an over and introduced helmets, day-night internationals, different bat sizes and bent arm deliveries.
However there is resistance from some of the game's hierarchy like ECB chairman Colin Graves who does not want any change to test cricket in the longer daylight hours in the UK and has similar support from senior cricket voices in Australia.
