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Australian opener Usman Khawaja has stated that he will retire from the game if pink balls are permanently used to play Test cricket. The left-handed batter suggested that while the red cherry acts distinctly, he doesn't formulate the rules and guidelines.
With bad-light stoppages becoming fairly regular in Test cricket, several pundits have suggested the use of pink instead of the red ball. Former England captain Michael Vaughan has been a major advocate of the same to combat the issue of bad light.
Speaking to reporters after Day 2 of the third Australia-Pakistan Test in Sydney, Khawaja was quoted as saying by nine.com.au:
"If it is, I'm retiring. I personally think it's not (the solution). The red ball is so distinct. I play white ball, I play pink ball, I play red ball and they all react so differently. But I don't make those laws, I don't make those rules."
Day 2 of the third Test between Australia and Pakistan saw a stoppage in play due to bad light. With Pakistan captain Shan Masood wanting to continue with a seamer at one end, the umpires had to call the players off.
"The red ball is what we grew up playing" - Usman Khawaja
Khawaja further elaborated that the pink ball acts differently off the surface and feels differently off the bat as well as compared to red balls.
"The red ball reacts way differently off the wicket, feels different off the bat, it acts different out of the hands when the bowlers are bowling. The red ball is what we grew up playing. The red ball is Test cricket," he said.
"Unless you can find a way to replicate the sun, the lights aren't the same, the lights shining on a red ball is really hard to see. The pink ball is a lot better, but it doesn't react the same as the red and this is my argument. This is Test cricket," Khwaja added.
Australia, meanwhile, lead the three-match Test series against Pakistan with wins in Perth and Melbourne.
