Bairstow: Pink ball could have it's advantages

London - England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow believes playing with the pink ball in Test cricket will help the players in certain situations on the field. 

The pink ball will be used for the first time in the longest format of the game in the UK with England set to take on the West Indies in a day/night Test at Edgbaston starting on Thursday. 

The home team's players played with the pink ball in a domestic first-class match in June and Bairstow feels it could have its advantages. 

The Yorkshire player told Sky Sports: "With a red ball it is not perfect to be quite honest. 

"If you are stood at second slip, third slip, gully, point, fine leg, deep backward square, you are actually picking a maroon ball up out of a multi-coloured background, which is the crowd. 

"You never know, coming out of a dark background, it might actually be easier to see a luminous pink ball than it would a gloomy red one." 

Bairstow accepts though that there will be a period that the players will have to adapt their games in order to get used to the different ball. 

England will also play a day/night Test in the Ashes against Australia later this year. 

Bairstow continued: "I am sure it will be a learning curve, for the batters and the bowlers - knowing how to bowl with the pink ball, knowing how to bat with the pink ball, whether or not we can get it swinging after a certain period of overs, while reverse swing could play a part as well. 

"It is going to be different that's for sure, so it is going to be interesting to see how it plays out under lights, in practice tonight and then moving forward into a couple of day practices as well."