Gabba dramas show why pink-ball Tests are here to stay – and could save the format
It took just six deliveries for Mitchell Starc to work his magic with the pink ball.The dismissal of Ben Duckett in the first over in Brisbane was the left-arm quick’s 82nd wicket in his 15th day-night Test.Starc would take another seven scalps in the second Ashes Test, as Australia romped to an eight-wicket victory at the Gabba.England’s belated resistance to begin day four ensured the hosts’ triumph was sealed under lights during the third session – when maximum eyeballs, for better or worse, would be locked onto the clash both locally and on the other side of the globe.England might be out to save Test cricket, or to at least reignite interest in it in their homeland.
But Australia’s embrace of a shift in the timing of the most traditional format – and the throwback to the tactics and tension of Test cricket that it brings – suggest that the one-time nocturnal novelty can have a longer-lasting impact on the game than any overhyped strategy ever will.The fresh nuance and swings in momentum that come with a pink-ball Test are something to be celebrated amid the fast-and-the-furious nature of the now dominant limited-over formats.A toss that hands one captain an undeniable opportunity to dictate the flow of the game.New questions mixed with old over when and how to make the most of batting in daylight, and plans abruptly put in place around when to protect wickets with the hope of bowling as dusk descends.Slow over rates might be best left to a bygone era, but belligerent schemes like calling for a fielder to wear a helmet for one-ball-only just add to the debate and drama around a game played under lights.
Australia have now won 14 of their 15 day-night Tests,Their near-flawless record is helped by appearing in 60% of the 25 pink-ball Tests played since their introduction in 2015, and the lessons that come with familiarity,They have had plentiful time in the middle to learn how to deal with the pink ball’s exaggerated movement in the air,To understand how to turn the unpredictability and chaos in their favour as they masterfully manage the game,For the tourists, the record now stands at two wins from eight Tests played with a pink ball.
The jury remains out on whether England will properly learn from the lessons presented in the latest loss,Australia, meanwhile, show all the signs that they are continuing to learn on the job,Stand-in skipper Steve Smith has taken to wearing black stickers under his eyes to try to reduce glare, and Nathan Lyon missed a Test on Australian soil for the first time in almost 14 years,It was a contentious call to leave the off-spinner out of the pink-ball Test in the Caribbean,It was the boldest of decisions to omit the 38-year-old from the XI for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
But, not for the first time of late, the Australia selectors were vindicated, this time as hometown hero Michael Neser all but wrapped up the match with a first Test five-for on day four.Starc and Neser, along with fellow pace bowler Scott Boland, were just as valuable for their contribution with the bat.The trio combined for 114 runs but just as crucially helped keep England in the field for more than three hours of play on day three.The witching hours might have scrambled the minds of the Australia batters who piled on 378 runs in 73 overs at a jaw-dropping run-rate of 5.18 the evening before.
But the next day the bowlers took back control and reminded both sides how to deliver on a ruthless pink-ball plan that placed the conditions, in theory, on their side,Australia were helped by England grassing five catches when the match was still on the line,Duckett and Brydon Carse spilled the easiest of those opportunities, with the effect of the night-time glare about the only excuse that might spare their blushes,The missed chances were among several reminders that the tourists chose not to play a competitive day-night fixture leading into the second Test, even if a game against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra was far from ideal preparation,The Gabbatoir can turn into a cauldron across seven-plus hours of play in horrific humidity or under a blazing sun.
The venue would likely sell out on each of the first few days of an Ashes encounter no matter what time the first ball is bowled.But 137,152 fans – the most for an Ashes Test at the Gabba since 2006 – walking through the turnstiles during the four days of the second Test only added to the atmosphere as the night sky closed in, while more people than in the past were able to tune in at home and in the early hours in the UK.Sign up to The SpinSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s actionafter newsletter promotionTV viewership peaked during the third session across each of the first three days of the second Test, with the national average audience on Channel Seven hitting an average 1,411,00 on Friday, according to TV Blackbox (figures from Fox Sports/Kayo are not included).Even with Australia riding high after their first Test victory, an average 831,000 viewers watched the first session on Thursday with 902,000 tuning in on Channel Seven for the same period the following day.With families and children able to settle in for as much or as little of the seven hours of scheduled play as they are prepared to follow – without having to give priority to school, work and their own weekend sport – the future of Test cricket might just be built on an innovation that few beyond the Cricket Australia beancounters seem ready to fully grasp.
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Gabba dramas show why pink-ball Tests are here to stay – and could save the format