Matt Henry: Pink ball for Day-Night Tests needs more testing

New Zealand pace bowler Matt Henry believes that pink ball should go through more trials before being used in day-night Tests. Many people prefer pink to any other colour ball since pink ball irradiates both white and black sightscreens. However, the use of pink ball had come into controversy since it makes life somewhat difficult for colour-blind cricketers. In the few experiments done with the pink ball it gets very slightly difficult to bat at dusk but that is the case with any other coloured ball as well and for day-night ODIs as well. New Zealand will play Australia in the first pink ball day-night Test to be played in Adelaide, Australia. The match is scheduled for November 27, 2015. READ: Trent Boult, Tim Southee agree on pink ball for Day-Night Tests

In a conversation with nzherald.co.nz Henry said, “There wasn’t too much difference under lights. We just need to get used to catching in the darker conditions, but the pink ball’s actually quite bright, so it wasn’t too bad. Even with the white ball, the twilight [dusk] phase is difficult, so not too much of a change really. We need to trial it more. It’s good to have as much knowledge as possible to perfect our plans but our strategies tend to revolve more around the [opposition] players themselves.” VIDEO: ICC gives approval to day-night Test matches with coloured balls

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Meanwhile, New Zealand middle-order batsman Kane Williamson said, “It swung a bit, similar to how a white ball responds when you get a bit of shine on it with the dew. It’s a bit like playing ODI cricket at night. When the lights come on in England [during day sessions], the wicket gets dewy and it tends to quicken up. It can provide a bit of movement. It’s just a matter of getting used to it, but the ball has stayed hard the whole time. You don’t want to think about it too much. You want to stick to the basics: watching the ball if it swings when you’re batting, and using that to your advantage if you’ve got the ball. It’s just as important to adjust to the [session] timings.”