First Day Night Test Match

[stickyboy]

Australia and New Zealand are planning to play the first day-night Test match in November 2015

Could it work?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/28085871

[IanS]

Cricinfo reported that the Australian players found the pink ball hopeless:

"The general feedback was that it went soft very quickly, the ball didn't swing, it didn't seam, it didn't reverse swing. So it became a ball that was very difficult to get batsmen out with, but it was also difficult to score runs because it got soft quickly..... the risk is that with no movement and the ball getting very soft, it could result in a very, very boring game of cricket."

[Andy]

Yes, pink balls often go soft very quickly. But, back to the cricket, why should the colour make any difference to the composition of the ball itself - or is this a typically Aussie male aversion?

[nat]

Cricinfo reported that the Australian players found the pink ball hopeless:

"The general feedback was that it went soft very quickly, the ball didn't swing, it didn't seam, it didn't reverse swing. So it became a ball that was very difficult to get batsmen out with, but it was also difficult to score runs because it got soft quickly..... the risk is that with no movement and the ball getting very soft, it could result in a very, very boring game of cricket."

b******s.

[IanS]

Yes, pink balls often go soft very quickly. But, back to the cricket, why should the colour make any difference to the composition of the ball itself - or is this a typically Aussie male aversion?

Sticking to cricket, white balls appear to behave differently, compared with red ones, hence the need to have two for each ODI innings. Clearly the pigment has some impact on the material of the ball, possibly in a passive way ie not providing the protection and longevity enjoyed by a red ball or actively by affecting the leather. But why? Frankly, I have no idea.  For the aficionados, they used pink Kookaburra balls in the Sheffield Shield trial. See http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/756487.html

Cue a treatise from a materials scientist. Please!

[galboy]

Test cricket has been played in darkness, under lights before.

I was in Auckland in 2002 when the Kiwis were batting and racking up a handy lead, it was pitch black and the floodlights were on. It was ludicrous, Uzman Afzaal was sub fielding on the boundary and was underneath a skier when he obviously lost the red ball in the darkness. He ended up just shielding his head as the ball bounced two foot away from him. Nasser was not happy. That hour of crazy cricket ended up costing us that test match as the Kiwis scored very quickly and bowled us out late in the afternoon on the next and final day. Without those quick runs and the impetus it gave them i doubt that they would have achieved this otherwise.

Night time test cricket will definitely happen in the future, wether it takes off or not im not so sure. You cant beat an 11 o'clock start on a sunny morning.

[brianh]

We too were at the match in Auckland in 2002 and remember Graham Thorpe fielding on the boundary when a ball was hit towards him. The ball passed Thorpe and he threw his arms in the air, intimating that he did did not see it. That put me off floodlight Test cricket. As an aside, the Canterbury Test on that tour must be rated among the best ever. We were on an escorted tour and one of the young ladies (at cricket for the first time) looking after us asked if Test cricket was always as exciting as this.  I replied very quietly with a long noooo. The man of the match was Graham Thorpe for his double century but in our view it should have been Nasser Hussain for his hundred on the first day when the pitch was at its worst. Does anyone else have memories of that match?

[jimmy]

Thought we'd started day/night tests at lords vs India, how dark was it on day 4 ?

[Valentines Park]

how dark was it on day 4 ?

Not only that but the floodlights were on at 11 o'clock this morning.

[galboy]

We too were at the match in Auckland in 2002 and remember Graham Thorpe fielding on the boundary when a ball was hit towards him. The ball passed Thorpe and he threw his arms in the air, intimating that he did did not see it. That put me off floodlight Test cricket. As an aside, the Canterbury Test on that tour must be rated among the best ever. We were on an escorted tour and one of the young ladies (at cricket for the first time) looking after us asked if Test cricket was always as exciting as this.  I replied very quietly with a long noooo. The man of the match was Graham Thorpe for his double century but in our view it should have been Nasser Hussain for his hundred on the first day when the pitch was at its worst. Does anyone else have memories of that match?

I was there that day too brian. Fantastic test match, one of the best ever in my opinion. I agree about Nasser, he scored a very good ton when the ball was hooping around corners. Thorpe and Freddie filled their boots once the pitch had died. Although it could have all been different had Astle caught Thorpe at slip when he was on nought. Don't think I've ever seen a ball hit so cleanly as Astle did that day, i didn't really appreciate it at the time but once the dust had settled it become apparent just how well he had batted. That test is actually available on DVD brian.