New Delhi:
India and Australia are locking horns in the second test of the ongoing five-match Test series between the two teams at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide. The match is a highly anticipated affair amongst cricket fans being a day/night fixture. Notably, a day/night Test is played with a pink ball rather than the usual red ball used in test cricket which adds to the excitement of the game.
The pink ball is known to assist bowlers a lot more than the red ball even more so during the night session played under flood lights. Hence, it’s often a herculean task for the batters to see off the bowlers under lights making their stay at the crease all the more miserable. Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee also recently explained how does a pink ball behave differently than a red ball calling it a Rosé.
Brett Lee ‘Binga’ recalls Bowling Under the Lights
The legendary fast bowler recalled how he loved to bowl under lights with the white ball and explained how the humidity at night makes the ball shape a lot more.
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“It is the pink ball test of what I like to call the Rosé. Not quite red, not quite white, right in the middle rose. It definitely swings around a lot more, it shapes around. The pink ball test is under light, so generally when you’re playing the lights it’s a bit more movement, it’s cooler by night time as well in terms of heat. It can be a little bit more humid sometimes which makes the ball shape. So, I actually really enjoyed bowling with the white ball under lights. The pink ball, I’m heard and I’m hearing it’s actually a lot better. So that would be a lot of fun for the fast bowlers,” said Lee on his Youtube Channel.
India’s Highest Run Scorer Against the Pink Ball
Among Indian batters, Virat Kohli is the leading run scorer in the pink ball Tests having 277 runs from five matches at an average of 46.16 with one hundred and one fifty to his name. Among bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin is most successful having picked 18 wickets from five matches at an average of 13.83 with best figures of 4/48.
For Australia, Marnus Labuschagne is the leading run scorer in the day/night Tests with 894 runs from nine matches at an average of 63.85 with four hundreds and three fifties to his name. On the other hand, Mitchell Starc is the highest wicket taker with 67 scalps from 13 matches at an average of 18.80 with three five wicket hauls to his name.
With two heavyweight sides, set to collide against each other, the pink ball Test promises to be a mouth-watering affair for the cricketing fraternity.
