Share

Hazlewood not tickled pink ball

Melbourne - Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood has expressed concerns about the safety of the pink ball to be used in the maiden day-night test match against New Zealand.

Hazlewood said the ball was hard to see for fielders square of the wicket late in the day and also felt it was behaving more like the white ball of one-day cricket in its movement rather than the red ball used in tests.

Hazlewood and his New South Wales team mates had an evening practice session with the ball on Tuesday and the paceman was left with a number of doubts.

"It was a little bit tough to see for the square-on fielders, at point and square leg, it was a bit easier in front of the wicket," he told local media.

"The time when the sun is setting, those fielders square of the wicket, when there's someone like (New Zealand captain) Brendon McCullum batting, it's going to come pretty quickly whether you're at backward point or square leg.

"It's going to be tough to see and hang on to. It might be a little bit dangerous but the more we use it ... the more we will get used to it.

"It's going to take some getting used to at this stage. We're adapting on the batting and bowling fronts, it's just the fielding."

Australia will host New Zealand in the first day-night test in Adelaide from Nov. 27 after years of research and work on the pink ball.

Some purists have reservations about the experiment, and Hazlewood's team mate and fellow paceman Mitchell Starc also complained that it was sometimes hard to see and very different to the red one.

Hazlewood feared crowds might also have trouble seeing the ball at twilight.

"If they can't see it, they'll ask themselves what they're doing there watching," Hazlewood said. "It will be interesting to see how it goes.

"I see a lot of similarities with the white ball at the moment, the way it behaves at the start of the innings and after 40-50 overs.

"It's going to be hard to buff up and get that nice red shine like you would a normal red leather cricket ball, but it's improved the last couple of years. Whether it's ready for test matches we'll find out."

Players will get their hands on the pink ball later on Friday in a day-night tour match in Canberra between the hosts' Prime Minister's XI and the touring New Zealand side.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE