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    The headlines



    MCC go pink

    By Will 3 months ago Leave a comment on this post

    You’ve got to hand it to MCC. For so long they were the stuffy uncle of cricket: custodians of the laws of a noble sport, and with the detached arrogance to match such an honour. Their image has changed irrevocably in the past 15 years - just look at Lord’s for proof. It combines the old with the new like no other ground in the country (if not the world), and continues to break new ground. They’re now looking to utilise the tunnels beneath the nursery which once housed trains on the old tube line.

    And today they unveiled a new pink ball as a potential replacement for the grubby white one which becomes so discoloured in ODIs. Yes, pink. It’s not as garish as it sounds and, on such a gloomy day at Lord’s, it was certainly luminous against the lush green turf. I’m not convinced it was any more visible than the old white one, but it appears MCC’s task is to find one more durable, not necessarily more visible.

    A pink ball at Lord'sAnyway. The chap tasked with all this is Dr Anthony Bull, a bioengineer from Imperial College, who was good enough to spare me and a couple of other reporters the time at Lord’s to explain a few things. More interesting than all the pink balls (honk honk, etc) was his opinion of the future potential of bat technology. He is convinced that within the current constraints of ICC regulations, the current bats can be improved so that a ball will travel a further 20% than they do at the moment.

    That is quite some revelation and the impact on the game could be extraordinary. Mis-hits could go for six, or flashing nicks for six. Where on earth would this leave the poor bowler? Such a super-bat would give batsmen yet another unfair advantage over their opponents, and increase expectation on television suits to finish games even sooner than they currently do. Boundaries have been steadily creeping in from the fence in the past ten years - an absolute and unrecorded farce if you ask me - for that very reason: to get “result” games in order to lure bigger audiences to TV.

    Anyway, we’re some way off ever seeing this super bat. Would be interesting to hear your thoughts. Would you be in favour of such a technological advance, or does it belittle the already hapless bowler to a mere support act?

    More on Dr Bull and the pink balls at Cricinfo.

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    6 Responses to “MCC go pink”

  • Robin wrote:
    April 21st, 2008 at 8.45 pm

    This is the first I’ve heard of the encroaching of the boundaries, though it doesn’t surprise me. I’ve tried for ages (vainly) to find out how big a first-class ground actually is. On average, I mean; obviously, they’re all different, which no doubt makes it easier for their dimensions to be changed without anyone noticing.

    I’d welcome any more information you’ve got on this topic, Will - blow the lid off this “unrecorded farce”!

  • Marcus wrote:
    April 21st, 2008 at 11.49 pm

    If they’re going to increase the bat technology further, then they should do the same for the balls. Maybe they should bring in the “Swing Kings,” you know, the ones that are red on one side and white on the other? Or maybe they should encourage groundsmen and boards to prepare pitches with something more in them for the bowlers.

  • Thomas Rooney wrote:
    April 22nd, 2008 at 10.28 am

    Considering the effect of this pink ball, what would happen if it was used in county cricket and Middlesex are playing? Surely a massive clash with their ever so attractive pink kit?

  • David Barry wrote:
    April 22nd, 2008 at 2.13 pm

    I hope that the pink ball trials don’t succeed. James Sutherland is keen on day-night Tests, something I strongly disagree with. If the pink balls can last 80 overs, then Cricket Australia will be pushing hard for Test cricket under lights with them.

  • Chris wrote:
    April 23rd, 2008 at 1.00 am

    I’m with David. Tests under lights would be a travesty. James Sutherland has to go. His last 3 or 4 ideas have all been stupid at best.

  • Hammy wrote:
    April 27th, 2008 at 7.28 am

    Is this pink business just to get the Rainbow vote? I wouldn’t like to see better bats as the batsmen already have enough of an advantage with the limitation placed on bouncers, etc on the bowlers. Perhaps I’m a little naive but I thought the boundary ropes coming in was a good idea for player protection against injury. It does contribute to a mockery of the records though. Little bit difficult to compare the eras when the goalposts keep shifting, to borrow a paraphrase.

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