Published: Dec 21, 2015, 05:22 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 21, 2015, 05:22 PM (IST)
Ryan Harris feels it might be a mistake to host day-night match at Gabba, against South Africa’s fast pace attack. As per Cricket Australia (CA), it was a huge success and has scheduled two more next summer. They are also in negotiations with its Pakistan and South African counterparts about the 2016-17 season wanting to play a pink ball fixture against each nation. After a historic session last month, Adelaide Oval will look forward to host another day-night Test. Gabba might be a front-runner if another day-night Test is scheduled that summer. ALSO READ: Ryan Harris: Darren Lehmann a fantastic coach
In conversation with Sydney Morning Herald Harris said, “I don’t think Brisbane is a logical place to play it just yet. It would be a big mistake given the bowling attacks we have and South Africa. It could potentially be over in two, two and a half or three days. If it’s one of those hot Brisbane days, you’d certainly want to bowl when the sun goes down. It’d be zipping around everywhere.” Damien Hough, Adelaide Oval curator, deliberately left more grass on his pitch for the day-night Test, ensuring the pink ball didn’t deteriorate too quickly. Harris warned that such situation could be the same for Gabba as the pitch has a green tinge to it.
Harris predicted, “The ball would be in reasonable shape but the batsmen wouldn’t be. I reckon it would be tough to play it at the Gabba. What we saw in Adelaide, it’d probably be five or 10 times worse. In Adelaide they were obviously very worried about the visual factor of the ball. If you take a fraction more grass off that, it’s probably the perfect cricket wicket.” Players are still concerned about the pink ball, especially the seamers facing the issue. CA has scheduled a day-night Sheffield Shield round in February. Harris, who retired on the eve of Ashes this year, attended the ground-breaking fixture in Adelaide. ALSO READ: Cricket Australia schedule day-night matches for Sheffield Shield in February
Harris said, “It looked very good as a spectacle, I don’t think we’re far enough down the line with the ball to use it in a big series, against South Africa for example. I was surprised they did it with New Zealand, given the way they’d been playing.”
