Adelaide day-night Test: New and improved pink ball puts Australia in Ashes box seat
HE already holds the mantle as the best pink-ball bowler in the world, but Mitchell Starc’s figures with the new and improved pink Kookaburra are on another level.
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A SHINIER, stronger pink ball has already lived up to swinging expectations and could help the Aussie attack bring about England’s Ashes downfall in Adelaide.
Mitch Starc and his frontline partner Josh Hazlewood have scary day-night bowling figures under their belt and now their tails are up too after twice tearing the English tail to pieces in Brisbane.
The ball being used in this week’s Test in Adelaide has minimal changes according to manufacturers Kookaburra but the slight tweaks could be just enough to give Starc and company even more of a menacing edge.
A new thread has been used for the black seam which is more coarse than the one used in last year’s day-night Test against South Africa. The ball has also been polished to a higher sheen which is expected to last longer and aid visibility under the night lights.
And Starc has shown what he can do with the new look Kooka, taking a staggering 8-73, against South Australia, in Adelaide, in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield this summer.
Through one pink ball Test, and three Shield games with both the current and old version of the ball, Starc has amassed 25 wickets displaying his love for the damage it can do.
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“The ball swung and nipped a little bit and I managed to get it to move both ways and find a way to get a few wickets,” Starc said after his big bag last month.
Adding an extra fear factor this year is the reverse swing players were seeing with this pink ball.
It’s design, with longer-lasting shine so the ball can be seen under lights, should prevent it going “both ways”. But Starc managed to make the ball “dance” according to those who saw him rip through the Redbacks.
England seamer Jimmy Anderson is regarded by plenty as the best swing bowler of his generation, but the veteran has had limited exposure to the pink Kookaburra.
A carton of the new balls was sent to England earlier this year for the tourists to practice with, and the English seamers got in more time with the pink pill during a warm-up game against a Cricket Australia XI, in Adelaide, earlier this month.
Anderson took five wickets against the youngsters and with all-rounder Chris Woakes, who took four seconds innings poles rolled the CA team, which included Aussie Test keeper Tim Paine, for just 75.
A Kookaburra spokesman confirmed the work put in to strengthen the seam this year and said while the new version of the ball was bound to be better, the pitch conditions in Adelaide could also play a part in how it goes.
“We had pretty good feedback from players last year with the move to the black seam, and we are still doing extensive research and development to improve the ball further,” the spokespersons aid.
“The only marginal difference is a slightly stronger seam thread ... it will just help the longevity of the ball.
“The way the Test panned out last year, if the pitch conditions are similar we’d expect a similar performance from the pink ball.”
IN THE PINK
Aussie attack with the pink ball.
(Two tests in Adelaide, and Sheffield Shield games since 2015)
Mitchell Starc 5 matches, 28 wickets @ 17.2 (best bowling 8-73)
Josh Hazlewood 4 matches, 26 wickets @ 14.8 (best bowling 6-70)
Nathan Lyon 6 matches, 19 wickets @ 26.4 (best bowling 3-60)
Pat Cummins 1 match, 2 wickets @ 46.5 (best bowling 2-22)
Originally published as Adelaide day-night Test: New and improved pink ball puts Australia in Ashes box seat