Test cricket is the oldest of all three cricketing formats. It has been played for centuries and hence there are still prevalent issues in the game that pop up every now and then. The use of red balls in Test cricket is still very much relevant despite the introduction of the pink ball. The latter is only used in day-night Tests. Meanwhile, the red ball comes with its set of limitations.
The red cherry, especially the one manufactured by Duke in England is not visible after a certain dip in daylight and also feels awkward under artificial lights. While the pink ball has its own problems, it certainly is not affected by the light. It is very much visible in all intensities of light. However, teams are still adamant about using the red ball because it maintains its shape even after many overs.
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The pink ball, meanwhile, becomes soft too often too soon. Therefore, the manufacturers are working on this issue and may have even managed to sort it out, as per the latest report. Duke managing director Dilip Jajodia has claimed that they have solved the problem.
“I have a pink ball that is superior to anything else on the market, which will last 80 overs,” Jajodia told the Herald and The Age. In fact, he feels that the time has come for Test cricket to move on from red ball to pink ball. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t move on to pink balls for red-ball cricket all the time. It doesn’t have to be day-night, it can be during the day, there’s no problem," Jajodia said.
“There is always the question of tradition, ‘we must have a red ball for red-ball cricket, we can’t have anything else’. But you’re in the entertainment industry. There are a lot of people who are paying a lot of money and they’re getting shortchanged," Jajodia added.
