TIME FOR A PINK THINK

LESS than a month after the inaugural day-night Test, Cricket Australia has already unveiled a new and improved pink ball prototype featuring a jet black seam to ensure the ground-breaking concept can kick into another gear next summer.

The world No.1 South Africans are understood to be hesitant about committing to a potential summer-opening daynighter in Brisbane next year, however, CA are set to pull out all stops to negotiate them over the line like they did with New Zealand last year.

Pakistan are already virtually locked in for another Adelaide spectacular in the second half of the summer, but a better ball will only strengthen CA’s argument to the Proteas that they should also agree to a showpiece under lights at the Gabba.

Player feedback from the ratings and crowd-busting maiden voyage against the Black Caps in Adelaide was largely positive, however, the one damning criticism was that the seam on the ball was almost impossible to pick up against spin bowling.

Australian players watching on HD televisions in the Adelaide dressing room said even then they couldn’t pick up the seam.

Commissioned to come up with an immediate solution, manufacturers Kookaburra are confident a pink ball with an entirely black seam will contrast better with the luminous pink than the original seam that was dark green with white.

Test paceman Peter Siddle has already seen the prototype and given it a thumbs up and provided the latest model shines in the next round of day-night Sheffield Shield matches starting on February 14, it will be rolled out in future under-lights Tests.

“We listen to the feedback from players and it’s important they continue to give us that honest feedback,” said CA operations boss Sean Cary, who reiterated that players had no issue with seeing the pink ball itself.

“It’s important that players can pick up the revolutions on the ball when they’re batting and the way they do that is by focusing on the seam.

“They said it was almost impossible to pick up the seam.