Shaun Pollock suggested using pink balls in day Tests to stop play from stopping due to bad light. He said, "If you use the pink one, you can" keep playing. While the ICC allows this trial, teams must agree first. However, coach Ashwell Prince wants to keep the red ball.
Former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock has proposed using the pink ball in traditional day Tests to reduce the number of overs lost to bad light, triggering a debate over whether the change could work in the longest format of the game.
His suggestion comes amid weather interruptions in the ongoing first Test between South Africa and Australia at Kingsmead. South Africa were 102 for 4 in their chase of 421 at the end of Day 4, with playing time lost during the first three days limiting the action to 221 of the scheduled 270 overs.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has recently allowed the use of pink balls in daytime Test matches on a trial basis. However, the move requires both captains to agree before the match begins. If they approve the change, the pink ball must be used throughout the Test, with no option to return to the red ball.
PINK BALL TO ADDRESS BAD LIGHT
Pollock's proposal is not about converting traditional Tests into day-night matches. Instead, he believes the pink ball could allow play to continue in fading light, helping teams recover some of the time lost to poor conditions.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Pollock said the idea was worth considering even when matches were played entirely during the day.
"I am not saying for one moment that we should have used the pink ball and played a day-night game," Pollock said.
"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 added.
The former South Africa all-rounder also questioned whether teams would readily accept the change when the outcome of a match or series was at stake.
He pointed to a hypothetical situation involving Australia and South Africa, with a place in the World Test Championship final on the line, and asked whether both sides would agree to use the pink ball if poor light threatened to cost them a significant number of overs.
His argument puts the focus on whether teams would be willing to prioritise playing time over their preference for the traditional red ball.
PRINCE WANTS TEST CRICKET TO RETAIN RED BALL
South Africa senior assistant coach Ashwell Prince does not share Pollock's view. He believes the red ball should remain the standard for traditional day Tests, with the pink ball reserved for matches specifically scheduled as day-night fixtures.
Prince also highlighted the difference in experience between teams that have regularly played pink-ball cricket and those that have had fewer opportunities to do so. In his view, this could make it difficult to secure agreement from both captains.
"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," Prince said.
He added that teams with limited experience of the pink ball might be reluctant to accept the change, making a unanimous decision difficult.
"But for me, you know, Test matches are the red ball," Prince said.