MELBOURNE — Australia will trial a modified pink ball featuring a black seam in the domestic Sheffield Shield competition next week after complaints from players about visibility issues during the inaugural day-night Test last November.
The ball will be used in matches in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, and further feedback sought from players, Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement Wednesday.
“Feedback from the players following the first day-night Shield round, as well as the historic day-night test in Adelaide, is that while the ball had improved significantly, the seam was difficult to see at times,” CA’s Head of Cricket Operations Sean Cary said.
“To address these concerns, we’ve worked with (manufacturer) Kookaburra to introduce a fully black seam to make it easier to see.”
Drawing huge crowds and bumper TV audiences, the first day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide Oval was hailed a success by organizers, even if it finished within three days.
Players on both sides complained of difficulty making out the seam under the floodlights and that the game’s delicate balance between bat and ball was skewed towards the bowlers.
CA is determined to make day-night Tests a feature of every home summer, however, and has sounded out South Africa and Pakistan about playing day-night matches when they tour this year.
New figures showed 1,727,270 people flocked to international games or the Big Bash League, making it Australia’s most attended cricket season on record.
Of the total, 696,775 watched Test cricket, including 123,736 who passed through the gates of the Adelaide Oval for the historic day-night pink ball clash against New Zealand.
Australia also hosted the West Indies for a Test series and India for one-dayers and T20s.
The season was also marked by a record 80,883 people packing the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a Big Bash League clash between the Renegades and the Stars.
Cricket Australia said television and online audiences also soared, with growth on its Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat accounts.
