Pink ball now a museum piece

Day/night Test cricket is synonymous with the pink ball. Sri Lankan cricketers got a taste of the pink ball at the two recent Tests played in UAE against Pakistan ending in wins for Sri Lanka. Though they scored one of the lowest totals in one game (96 runs) it is unlikely they will have anything against the pink ball. How can they, when they had a score of 482 in the first innings in the same game?

The pink ball used in the first day/night Australia-New Zealand Test in Adelaide in November 2015 is now displayed in the Bradman Museum in Bowral in New South Wales along with several other balls used in landmark games. It is one of the latest additions in the Museum which continuously updates the exhibits. 

The Bradman Museum covers the history of world cricket extensively and also houses the International Cricket Hall of Fame. My recent visit was the third and every time I have seen how landmark events and happenings have been constantly monitored and adequately covered.

Among additions since my last visit a portrait of Richie Benaud with Don Bradman along with several pictures from Benuad’s life. One time Australian Test captain who, after retirement became a highly respected cricket commentator died in April 2015. As the visitor moves in and start watching momentous international matches on videos, one cannot miss Benaud’s voice.

Recognition for Murali

The first thing we noticed as we walked in to buy tickets was a showcase devoted to Murali’s cricket paraphernalia. It was a pleasant surprise to find that six years after retirement he still makes the news. A big photograph captioned ‘World record-holder Muttiah Muralitharan retires in 20111’ is displayed on top of the showcase. 

Among the displayed items in the showcase are a cap, a tee-shirt, a blazer with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) logo, a SLC tie and a bat an autographed by the Sri Lanka team under Sanath Jayasuriya are displayed. Apart from Murali being recognised, it is certainly a big boost for Sri Lanka cricket. The Museum is an extremely popular place for both local and foreign tourists.

Apart from this display in the showroom (it is most likely be for a limited period), Murali is featured very much in the main hall where videos are continuously played using huge screens relating the story of cricket over many decades. 

Also displayed was a publication carrying a picture of captain Arjuna Ranatunga accepting the World Cup trophy alongside a copy titled ‘When Sri Lanka beat the World 17 March 1996’.

Back to pink ball

The introduction of the pink ball by the ICC (International Cricket Council) was linked to the move to introduce day/night Test matches to improve crowd attendance at the longer format of the game.  It was found that the traditional red ball is too difficult to pick out in floodlit conditions, and the white ball normally used in limited-overs cricket would blend in with players’ strips and sight screens. 

After Australia made history at Adelaide Oval when they hosted New Zealand in the first ever pink-ball Test, other games played using the pink ball are

Paksitan.West Indies in Dubai (October 2016), Australia/South Africa in Adelaide (November 2016), Australia/Pakistan in Brisbane (December 2016), England/West Indies in Edgbaston (August 2017) and Sri Lanka/Pakistan in Dubai (October 2017).