Voges questions use of pink ball for test match

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia batsman Adam Voges has added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism of the pink ball set to be used in cricket’s first day-night test match against New Zealand.

Voges was unimpressed with the ball’s performance in the 50-over day-night tour match in Canberra on Friday and was highly sceptical it could last the 80 overs required in a test match.

“There wasn’t much pink left on it by the end of the game,” Voges told local media after New Zealand’s 102-run win over the local Prime Minister’s XI side.

“The one that got hit onto the roof (by New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill) and didn’t come back was 28 overs old and it looked like it was 68 overs old to be fair.

“It looked as though the lacquer had come off and it was turning green basically.

“There were bits of pink left, but it was more green than pink by the end.

“I know that it stopped swinging, there was no reverse-swing or anything like that because both sides get chunked up equally, but the older it gets, I can’t see it being any easier to see.”

New Zealand’s batsmen had little trouble seeing the ball during the day at Manuka Oval, scoring over 300 in their innings, and their bowlers found ample swing early to rattle through the hosts’ top order.

But Voges said the ball quickly lost its venom.

“Those first 10 overs were a real challenge but once the ball stopped swinging it was a lot easier and both balls got chewed up pretty quickly after that.”

Fast bowler Peter Siddle echoed his team mate’s comments but added that the hard Canberra pitch may not have been the best wicket to gauge its performance.

“Obviously the Manuka pitch here is a bit more abrasive than most pitches going around, but that was the most disappointing thing, was the ball sort of changing colour,” he said on Melbourne radio station Triple M.

“And it’s a little bit hard to shine. It’s not really like a traditional red ball where you can sort of buff it up and get it nice and shiny — you can’t really do that with this ball.”

Cricket Australia have said the ball was ready for the day-night test match starting in Adelaide from Nov. 27.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes/Peter Rutherford)