Plenty of eyes are on the pink ball in Adelaide this weekend but – within the Australian cricket hierarchy – there’s just as much interest in those peepers as the pill.
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The first day-night Test match offers prime-time exposure and the prospect of broadening the appeal of cricket’s traditional form.
As Tim Harris prepared his RSL Bulldogs under 13s for their game on Friday, the coach considered the fact that an afternoon of junior cricket at Duke of Kent could be followed by an evening of Test cricket on the couch.
“They might get to watch an hour or two before bed.
“It means they’re talking about it, discussing players, and they actually get to see players play hard, fair Test cricket,” Harris said.
“It’s the format of the game that anyone who really likes cricket really aspires to be good at.”
Aspiring bowler Charlie Munn’s favourite player is Peter Siddle but “I also like Kane Williamson even though he’s not Australian.”
The 13-year old was looking forward to seeing the action from Adelaide while the “bright pink ball” had captured the attention of his teammate Fin Hubbard.
That will be music to the ears of Luke Olsen, cricket’s development manager for the Murrumbidgee region.
“The reason the Big Bash has gone so well is it’s in the school holidays, it’s played at night… and this is a little bit like that,” Olsen said.
“It’s giving us Test cricket to promote to kids, and it’s under lights.”
Olsen said the success of the Big Bash – and the atmosphere created by it – had given cricket administrators their blueprint.
“Our role is to get kids excited about the game and it’s more likely then to get them playing the game,” he said.
Concern about how the pink ball holds up isn’t worrying Greg McLay, a spin bowler who played six first class matches for NSW in 1990-91.
“There’s a lot of conjecture about the ball and it’ll be hard for the batters, but so what?” McLay said.
“Let’s get a result. Batsmen by nature are a fairly precious lot… to tip it in favour of the bowlers a bit, I don’t mind seeing that at all.”
Cricket Australia chief executive, James Sutherland, has said his mission is to make sure Test cricket – his favourite format – survives and thrives.
He has an ally in RSL Bulldogs under 13s coach.
“The flash of Twenty20 is great and is a great way to get kids interested in the game but this day-nighter allows children to follow and see what the real format of the game is all about, so it’s very exciting,” Harris said.
