Leather for controversial pink ball made by small Narangba business

PINK ball cricket returns to the Gabba this month when Australia take on Pakistan. And the pink leather is home grown, made by a Narangba business.

Queensland Bulls batsman Matt Renshaw with pink cricket balls. Pic Peter Wallis

WHEN a Mitchell Starc thunderbolt darts through a Pakistani batter’s gate and clatters into off stump in the Brisbane Test Match, one local business will be cheering a little louder than most.

The Gabba will host the first of the three matches between Australia and Pakistan on December 15, a day-night game which will feature a pink ball.

The leather used to make these Kookaburra’s were made in Narangba, by 125-year-old business Packer Leather.

The pink balls have been divisive in recent years, with purists sceptical over shifting Test cricket from a daytime only domain but punters flocking back to the matches in droves to enjoy the new prime time viewing opportunity.

The ball itself had a rough start, with erratic swinging in the dusk conditions causing flurries of wickets.

But after working together with Kookaburra to improve the ball in recent years, Packer Leather technical director Andrew Luke is confident the pink ball is here to stay.

“We’re very happy, lab testing has been consistently showing improvement,” he said.

“In the last 12 months the pink and white balls have been showing tremendous improvement and that has been reflected on the pitch.”

While Kookaburra is proud to support a small Australian business, that was not the reason Packer Leather’s product was chosen.

“We use it because it’s the best,” Kookaburra spokesman Shannon Gill said.

“Packer Leather is an integral part of the process that creates the iconic Kookaburra cricket ball, whether red, white or now pink.

“We’ve worked together for a long time and that’s testament to the job they do for us.

“We get all our leather from Packer so a bit of Caboolture can be found at Test matches worldwide.”

Former Test paceman Andy Bichel said pink ball cricket was a great thing to bring interest back to Test cricket.

“I think it’s a great innovation in the game,” he said.

“The public has voted for it. The Twenty20 game has opened up options for night cricket and people are going along to those games.

“I think Test cricket can tag into that.”