Josh Hazlewood feels pink ball Test cricket might be dangerous

The likes of Ricky Ponting, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Voges and Mitchell Starc have spoken out against the use of pink balls in Test cricket

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has also spoken out against the use of pink balls in Test cricket saying that the use of the ball might be dangerous with the ball not being clearly visible during the twilight hours, reported IBNlive.

Hazlewood is not the only cricketer who has voiced his reservations over the use of pink balls in Day-night Tests, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting also came out earlier this week to say that he was always against the Cricket Australia initiative to use pink balls in Tests, and said that it would be going against the tradition of the game.

The Australian Test seamer believes that huge improvements have been made since the ball was first tested two-and-a-half years ago but went on to add that there were potential dangers for fielders around sunset, especially if an explosive batsman such as New Zealand's Brendon McCullum was at the crease.

"The time when the sun is setting, those fielders square of the wicket, when there's someone like (New Zealand captain) Brendon McCullum batting, it's going to come pretty quickly whether you're at backward point or square leg,” said Hazlewood.

Fielding the biggest problem during sunset: Hazlewood

During the twilight period, when there is a mixture of natural and artificial light, the players have complained that the ball is hardest to see, especially if the ball is about 30-40 overs old, and has lost its shine. "It's going to be tough to see and hang on to. It might be a little bit dangerous but the more we use it ... the more we will get used to it.”

After ending an evening practice session with his fellow New South Wales players, Hazlewood said that it was increasingly hard to see the ball during sunset, "It was a little bit tough to see for the square-on fielders, at point and square leg, it was a bit easier in front of the wicket, Hazlewood said.

The Aussie pacer went on to add that the team was working in the bowling and batting departments, but fielding was going to take some time getting used to, "It's going to take some getting used to at this stage. We're adapting on the batting and bowling fronts, it's just the fielding."

Pink ball turned green by the end of innings: Voges

Fellow Australian Adam Voges also voiced his concern over the pink ball Test, saying that the ball didn’t even hold up for 50 overs, lost its shine very easily and that it turned green after a few overs itself. "There wasn't much pink left on it by the end of the game," Voges said. "The one that got hit onto the roof [by Martin Guptill] and didn't come back was 28 overs old and it looked like it was 68 overs old to be fair. To be honest, it didn't hold up very well at all tonight.”

Voges went on to add that the ball stopped swinging after a while as both sides of the ball lost shine equally and nothing much could be done to shine just one side, which made it tougher as the game progressed. "It looked as though the lacquer had come off and it was turning green basically. There were bits of pink left, but it was more green than pink by the end. I know that it stopped swinging, there was no reverse-swing or anything like that because both sides get chunked up equally, but yeah the older it gets, I can't see it being any easier to see."

Voges, who has played with the pink ball in two previous games, said that the ball had some pronounced swing in the earlier stages of match, but as the ball got older there was no swing at all and the visibility also diminished. He also went on to add that Boult and Southee of New Zealand got the ball to swing extravagantly during the first few overs of the match against PM’s XI and that they would have to play cautiously against them.

"The two [Sheffield] Shield games I played with it were in Brisbane and Perth and it held up pretty well there. But this is my first experience of lower, slower wickets," Voges said.

"They're very good new-ball bowlers and the key will be to get through their first spells and then get them back for second and third spells - as we saw with the pink ball tonight, in both innings, get them into their second spell and it can be a different story."

Other players who have also expressed their reservations against pink ball Tests are Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson of Australia. Matt Henry and Mark Craig of New Zealand also voiced their opinion after a two-day training camp at Hamilton earlier this month.

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