Pink ball in day Tests? Shaun Pollock’s bold idea to tackle bad light sparks debate

Former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock has called for the use of pink balls in traditional daytime Test matches to minimise the loss of playing time due to bad light, reigniting the debate over whether cricket should rethink its long-standing red-ball convention.

Pollock’s suggestion comes after persistent weather interruptions disrupted the ongoing first Test between South Africa and Australia at Kingsmead in Durban, with only 221 of the scheduled 270 overs bowled across the first three days. The match finally enjoyed an extended spell of uninterrupted sunshine on Monday, but South Africa were left facing a daunting target of 421 after Australia’s second-innings declaration.

At stumps on Day 4, the hosts were struggling at 102/4, with Aiden Markram unbeaten on 45 and Australia firmly in control heading into the final day.

‘You cannot play Test cricket past bad light time’

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has recently permitted the use of pink balls in daytime Test matches on a trial basis, provided both captains agree to the arrangement before the game. Once approved, the pink ball must be used throughout the match, with no provision to switch back to the traditional red ball.

Pollock believes the option deserves serious consideration, particularly when poor light threatens to eat into valuable playing time.

“I am not saying for one moment that we should have used the pink ball and played a day-night game,” Pollock told Fox Sports.

“I just believed we should have used the pink ball for the day game. It is not irrelevant because if you use the red ball, all of a sudden you cannot play Test cricket past bad light time, but if you use the pink one, you can,” he said.

The former Proteas star’s argument centres on the visibility advantage offered by the pink ball, potentially allowing umpires to keep play going in conditions when a red ball would no longer be considered safe to use.

With Test cricket increasingly under pressure to maximise playing time, Pollock’s proposal raises a question about whether tradition should take precedence when weather threatens to affect the outcome of a match.

Pollock questions whether teams would agree in a high-stakes Test

Pollock also questioned whether teams would be willing to accept the change when the stakes are particularly high, suggesting that a theoretical agreement could become more complicated when a major result is on the line.

“If this was a final or a game where you had to win to enter the World Test Championship final and it was 1-all in the series, and Australia was playing South Africa and you tell them, ‘Let’s use the pink ball because we are going to lose 100 overs to bad light’ do you think they would agree or not agree?” he questioned.

His comments highlight a potential obstacle to the ICC’s trial: the requirement for both captains to agree before the match. Even if the pink ball could help reduce weather-related interruptions, teams may be reluctant to adopt a format with which they have limited experience.

Ashwell Prince backs tradition of red-ball cricket

South Africa senior assistant coach Ashwell Prince, however, remains firmly in favour of the traditional red ball for daytime Tests, arguing that differences in experience between teams could make agreement difficult.

“For me, outside of a day-night Test, it has got to be a red ball. I think, obviously some nations have played a lot more pink ball cricket than others and so, therefore, to get both captains to agree is always going to be a challenge.

“To get both captains to agree to that, some teams will feel that they simply do not have enough experience of it, so, I think it would be very difficult to get both captains to agree. But for me, you know, Test matches are the red ball,” said Prince.

The contrasting views underline the challenge facing cricket authorities as they consider ways to protect playing time without compromising the character of the longest format.