It’s a whole new ball game

ALL county championship fixtures between Yorkshire and Surrey evoke a robust sense of history, for these are the two greatest powers in the land in terms of titles won – 32 and 18 respectively.

However, the meeting of the two sides at Headingley today will be like no other.

It will be the star attraction in a ground-breaking first full round of floodlit championship fixtures which could result in the most traditional form of the domestic game widening its appeal to spectators.

Matches will start at 2pm and pink Dukes cricket balls will be used.

Floodlights are likely to be employed for only the final session because of the long summer evenings.

This will be the first time day-night championship matches have been staged since an experimental fixture between Kent and Glamorgan at Canterbury in 2011.

Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon admits he is intrigued to see how the pink ball round of Championship matches will play out.

Yorkshire are bidding for a third win in four matches and a fourth in all this season after their innings defeat against Middlesex inside three days at Lord’s.

Yorkshire have some experience of pink ball cricket under lights having played the champion county match against the MCC in Abu Dhabi in 2015.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how it plays,” said Moxon.

“Nobody really knows what it’s going to be like in England from 2pm to 9pm.

“It’s going to be alien hours with a pink ball, and one nobody has really used yet.

“There are lots of unknowns, but it’s quite exciting.

“A sunny day, it won’t affect the game too much. But a cloudy damp day at Headingley, the seamers might be licking their lips.”

Upon returning from Abu Dhabi a couple of years ago, Moxon was quite skeptical of the whole concept.

“Only because I do feel that if the weather is cloudy and overcast in England, then what’s it going to be like at 7, 8 or 9 o’clock at night?,” he explained.

“That period could completely shift the game.

“Will it attract a whole new audience to county cricket? We will only find out by trying it.

“Weather like we had at Lord’s, floodlit cricket, you won’t even need the floodlights. If it’s a cold day, I can’t see thousands turning up to watch cricket at 8 o’clock.

“The weather will be very important for the future of day/night, pink ball cricket.”

One thing that is completely unknown to Yorkshire - aside from opener Alex Lees, who played for the MCC against Middlesex in March - is the use of a Dukes ball.

When Yorkshire played with the pink one, they used a Kookaburra, identical to the current limited overs white ball.

“At the minute, the white Kookaburra ball we use doesn’t do that much,” said Moxon.

“The pink Duke has a prouder seam on it, will hopefully keep it’s shine and might do a little bit more than a white ball currently does. “We’ll just have to wait and see. “I’m looking forward to it to see what happens because it might all be a roaring success. “It’s a big game for both sides. “If you don’t try these things, you’ll never know.”