The value to Australia of their eight-wicket win is diminished by the pace of the game and their low first-innings total. England’s bowlers were colossal in the first dig and then intimidated into submission in the second. A fast-bowling menace not seen on these shores since the West Indies in the 1980s was followed by medium-fast mindless drivel backed up by club cricket tactics.
The biggest issue for coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes from here is not adapting their batting plans and techniques, although they appear to be stuck in a black hole. It will be overcoming the post-Test traumatic stress. The scoreline is in Australia’s favour, but England must believe they still have a very good chance of getting even in Brisbane – and a key factor to parity will be the pink 156-gram Kookaburra Turf ball.
Mitchell Starc enjoys bowling with the pink ball. Credit: AP
Day-night Tests are a delight for the fans. They can get most of their day’s work done, afternoon school absences are barely noted, it’s cooler in the evening and the broadcast audiences can settle in during dinner at home or at the pub/club. Among the players, though, opinion is divided – and mostly down the lines of batters and bowlers.
Batsmen like strong natural light. Human eyes evolved for dynamic visual acuity to be at its peak when the sun is shining, but can handle a huge range and still be functional. A cloudy day comes in at about 1000 lux, the unit of light measurement, full sunshine anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 lux. Picking Shane Warne required the upper limit.
Contemporary artificial lighting required for high definition television cameras and slow motion replays comes in at 2500 lux for the pitch, 1500 for the infield and a 1000 for the outfield. For context, the first lights set up at the SCG in the late 1970s provided 500 lux. There are other factors such as colour rendering, which needs an index of 90 and a narrow colour conversion set so that one colour can be defined clearly from another. Bad luck to the one in 12 with an inherited colour deficiency – night pink-ball cricket is not for you.
The science tells us vision is not perfect under artificial lights, but that should not stop the game from being played at an elite level after dark.
Starc loves a pink-ball Test. He doesn’t need a pink ball to be effective, but what the heck, England should be worried.
When the sun goes down, the temperature drops, the air gets thicker, the thrice-coated pink rocket swings more and, of course, the light is artificial. After dark, these Tests speed up and wickets fall with increased regularity.
Accordingly, Australia’s batters should beware, too. England have the bowlers to make the Kookaburra sing and if they can hold their line, length and nerve then the hosts will be severely tested.
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Southern Queensland’s humidity may exacerbate the movement of the ball and the moisture will linger on top of the pitch. Batsmen will be looking for 30,000 lux or so during the day and bowlers will reach for the long spikes.
The pink ball moving more while being seen less gives both sides a chance of winning despite that deceptively wide margin in the first Test. Australia have only lost under lights once from 14 matches, but have never won under lights at the Gabba.
The game is not 50-50, but neither are Australia strong favourites. Can’t wait until the umps call, “Lights, camera, action”.
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