Pink ball a swinging hit in Adelaide

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon says Adelaide Oval is well suited to using a pink ball for the first time in Test cricket next month.

Mitchell Starc swung it. Nathan Lyon spun it. Steve Smith belted it. So did David Warner.

And the pink ball showed no signs of undue wear at the venue where the experimental leather will make its Test debut late next month.

The pink ball didn't exactly earn rave reviews at Adelaide Oval after its use in the Sheffield Shield game between South Australia and NSW.

But neither was it panned outright by players.

Australian captain Smith noted some trouble in picking up the seam during the day in NSW's first innings.

But he's a fast learner - he walloped an unbeaten 152 in the second dig, batting night and day.

His Test paceman Starc used the ball with devastating effect - he took eight wickets in the match, swinging the ball prodigiously.

Test opener Warner often smacked it hard - he made 77 and 30 in a successful comeback from a broken thumb.

And Lyon was able to make the pink ball spin and bounce, no worries at all.

"As a bowler there wasn't much difference for me," Lyon said.

"Probably the big thing was it was hard to buff up and get the shiny side up, that is one thing that I noticed different.

"But at the end of the day we're playing a pink ball Test match in a couple of weeks time and this was a great hit-out at the venue we'll be playing at.

"There's six Australian guys in our NSW side who have had a good game."

Adelaide Oval's head groundsman Damian Hough deliberately kept more grass on the pitch to help keep some colour on the pink ball.

It's a successful tactic likely to be repeated when Australia host New Zealand in Adelaide in the third Test starting on November 27.

"I actually think (the grassier pitch) suits pink ball cricket quite well," said Lyon, a former assistant groundsman to Hough at the oval.

"It looked like a pretty typical cricket ball after 70-odd overs.

"It served everyone well. There was a little bit in it early for the seam bowlers but then Smithy proved if you get through that early stage of an innings, you can go on and score runs.

"And for me personally there was some good bounce and spin."


Share
3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world