Pink Ball Day-Night Tests: How the Pink Ball Changed Test Cricket
The pink ball was introduced to Test cricket in 2015 to make day-night Tests viable — the red ball is invisible under floodlights. Pink ball Tests have produced dramatically different conditions from red ball Tests: exceptional swing under lights, unusual bounce in the twilight period, and lower first-innings scores. Adelaide Oval has hosted the most pink ball Tests. This explains everything about how and why the pink ball behaves differently.
Why a pink ball for day-night Tests: Test cricket traditionally uses a red cricket ball on white-clothing matches during daytime. When the ICC decided to make Test cricket more commercially viable by allowing day-night Tests (starting in the afternoon and ending under floodlights), the red ball presented a problem: under artificial lights, the red ball is extremely difficult for spectators (and batsmen) to see — the contrast between red and the white floodlit background at stadiums is poor. The pink ball solution: pink (or 'rose') provides better visibility against the green outfield and under artificial lights while retaining the seam and swing properties needed for Test cricket. The first day-night Test: Australia vs New Zealand at Adelaide Oval (November 27, 2015) — Australia won by 3 wickets in an historic match widely attended and followed. The pink ball used: the Kookaburra pink ball is the standard for most international day-night Tests; England uses the Dukes pink ball for home Tests.
How Pink Ball Differs From Red
Pink ball technical differences from the red ball: the pink ball is manufactured similarly to the red ball (cork core, leather covering, raised seam) but uses different dye and lacquer: (1) Lacquer coating: the pink ball uses a more heavily lacquered surface to maintain its colour and visibility under lights for longer. This lacquer affects the ball's seam behaviour and deterioration rate differently from the red ball's finish. (2) Swing: the pink ball swings more than a red ball in the first 20 overs — the heavy lacquer allows the ball to swing conventionally for longer than a traditional red ball (which typically swings for 15-25 overs in dry conditions). Under lights (twilight): the most dramatic phenomenon. In the twilight period (approximately 6pm-8pm, when natural light transitions to artificial light) at Adelaide Oval and similar grounds, the pink ball swings and moves off the seam at a rate unmatched by any other conditions in cricket. First innings average scores in day-night Tests: approximately 240-280 (significantly lower than an equivalent red-ball Test on the same ground) — confirming the additional bowling advantage. (3) Deterioration: the pink ball deteriorates differently — it can become soft and scruffy earlier than a red ball, which changes reverse swing characteristics.
Adelaide Oval Pink Ball Tests
Adelaide Oval as pink ball Test headquarters: Adelaide Oval (South Australia) hosts the Boxing Day Test alternative — the Adelaide pink ball Test typically in December — and has been the venue for more day-night Tests than any other ground. Adelaide Oval characteristics: the drop-in pitches at Adelaide Oval are prepared by curator Damian Hough — the pitches are typically better for batting on days 1-2 but offer more assistance for seamers under lights in the evening session. Famous pink ball results at Adelaide: (1) 2017 Ashes: England bowled out for 227 and 233 (losing by 120 runs) — James Anderson took 5 wickets in England's second innings under lights. (2) 2020 India tour: India bowled out for 36 in their second innings (the lowest Test innings total in Indian cricket history) — Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood each took wickets in a devastating 21-over session under lights. The 36 all out remains the iconic example of pink ball conditions creating extreme bowling conditions for teams unprepared for the twilight swing.
Day-Night Test Viewing
Day-night Test commercial purpose: the ICC and member boards introduced day-night Tests specifically to address declining Test cricket attendances by making the format accessible to working-age fans (who cannot attend weekday daytime Test matches but can attend evening sessions). Commercial results: day-night Tests at Adelaide Oval regularly attract 55,000-70,000 spectators across 5 days — larger attendances than typical daytime Ashes Tests in Australia. Television ratings for day-night Tests have also exceeded expectations — prime-time cricket (finishing around 10pm) attracts a different audience from mid-afternoon cricket. Player experience: bowlers strongly prefer bowling with the pink ball under lights (the swing and movement give them a significant advantage); batsmen tend to prefer either the morning or afternoon session (stable conditions) and dread being sent in to bat in the twilight period. Scheduling: captains who win the toss in a day-night Test and choose to field first typically ensure the opposition must bat through the most difficult twilight period in their first innings.
Frequently asked questions
Why do they use a pink ball in cricket?
The pink ball is used in day-night Test cricket because the traditional red ball is very difficult to see under artificial floodlights — the red colour blends poorly with the white floodlit background visible at cricket stadiums in the evening. The pink (or 'rose') ball provides much better visibility: its colour contrasts clearly against the green outfield, the white-clad fielders, and the brighter background under lights. The pink ball was developed (primarily by Kookaburra and Dukes, the two main ball manufacturers) to retain the seam, swing, and bounce properties needed for Test cricket while providing the visual contrast required for day-night play. The pink ball was first used in international cricket in November 2015 (Australia vs New Zealand at Adelaide Oval) — the first day-night Test match. Since 2015, day-night Tests have been played at various grounds internationally, with Adelaide Oval remaining the venue most associated with pink ball Test cricket.
What is special about pink ball conditions?
Pink ball conditions are distinctive from red ball Test conditions in three key ways: (1) Swing: the pink ball, due to its heavier lacquer coating, swings more than a red ball in the first 20-30 overs. Conventional outswing is particularly pronounced — James Anderson and Mitchell Starc have been especially effective with the pink ball. (2) Twilight movement: in the transitional period between natural and artificial light (typically 30-90 minutes around sunset), the pink ball moves through the air and off the seam at an unusually high rate. Batsmen in the field during this period face conditions where the ball swings late and deviates significantly more than in daylight — this period has produced many of Test cricket's most lopsided batting collapses. (3) Dew: in evening sessions under lights, dew can form on the outfield. A dewy ball becomes harder for bowlers to grip and harder for spinners to spin — conditions shift in favour of batting as the dew accumulates. The combination of extreme swing in the twilight period and dew affecting the ball later makes day-night Tests strategically very different from red-ball Tests.
When did day-night Test cricket start?
Day-night Test cricket began on November 27, 2015, with the first ever day-night Test match between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide Oval in South Australia. The match started at 2pm local time and ran into the evening under floodlights. Australia won the match by 3 wickets. The match was attended by large crowds (Adelaide Oval sold out evening sessions) and was broadcast to large television audiences globally — demonstrating that day-night Test cricket had commercial viability. The ICC approved day-night Tests following years of discussion about how to revitalise Test cricket attendance. Between 2015 and 2025, approximately 20-30 day-night Tests have been played internationally — with Australia, England, and the West Indies being the most frequent hosts. The format has been particularly embraced in Australia (where the Adelaide Oval hosting the pink ball Test in December is now a fixed part of the cricket calendar) and has been played in England (at Edgbaston), the West Indies (Jamaica), and elsewhere.