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No One Really Knows How The Pink Ball Will Affect Day/Night Test Cricket

No One Really Knows How The Pink Ball Will Affect Day/Night Tests
HOBART, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 28: A worn pink ball is seen at the conclusion of play following day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Tasmania and Western Australia at Blundstone Arena on October 28, 2015 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Brendon Thorne via Getty Images
HOBART, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 28: A worn pink ball is seen at the conclusion of play following day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Tasmania and Western Australia at Blundstone Arena on October 28, 2015 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The pink ball is turning out to be the hot topic for this pending summer of Test cricket.

As debate over the new ball continues, Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland is unfazed.

Sutherland said he is more than pleased with the introduction the new ball has faced in this week’s season-opening Sheffield Shield matches.

“Having had a look at the photos of the ball from yesterday in Adelaide, I’m actually even more positive and comfortable than I was,” said Sutherland, speaking at a Cricket Australia function at the MCG on Thursday.

Sutherland says that a large amount of work has gone into preparing the new ball for day night Test cricket and he believes it’s all been worthwhile.

More work has gone into preparing this pink ball than into any ball in the history of the game. We haven’t learnt anything new over the course of the last week that we didn’t know already,” he said.

Not everyone agrees with James Sutherland however, with some Australian cricketers expressing concern about its durability.

Victoria's John Hastings has claimed the quickly-deteriorating pink ball leads to "boring" #cricket: https://t.co/1mI0hfgaLk@collinsadam

— ABC Grandstand (@abcgrandstand) October 28, 2015

Australian captain Steve Smith has said he had difficulty seeing the seam when he first faced the pink ball.

While fast bowler Jackson Bird says he would even support a change in the ball altogether with a change to the English manufacturer Dukes.

The main thing that seems to be buoying Sutherland’s confidence in the success of the pink ball is the response by the public to the inaugural Day/Night Test in Adelaide.

“If ticket sales are an indication and demand for tickets are an indication – it’s already a success,” he said.

With Australia's domestic cricketers batting and bowling well in the Sheffield Shield matches which are using the pink ball this week across the country, the jury would seem to be out on the success or failure of the ball and the Day/Night format at this stage.

So the general consensus is -- bring on Adelaide.

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