Misbah, Holder favour pink future of Tests
- by Belinda Burton
- in Sport
- — Oct 13, 2016
They've subsequently dropped down to second spot - as India catapulted to the top after beating New Zealand - but Misbah-ul-Haq's men have an opportunity to close the gap on their rivals, in the three-match series against the West Indies. After several trials, the ICC had to implement the usage of pink ball in day-night Test match as it was clearly visible against the dark skies as well as the white kits. The Misbah-ul-Haq-led side is now the number two ranked side in Tests, and this three-match series provides them with a ideal opportunity to inch closer to number one ranking which India overtook from them recently.
The green shirts have brought in Babar Azam, who impressed the selectors with his three consecutive tons in the one day series.
West Indies had to suffer defeat against India in their own land after which they haven't had a good time of cricket except the win in the Twenty20 global (T20I) match against India. On the other hand, Pakistan did well to level the four-match series 2-2 against England. The team has already lost their morale, and with a few new players for this series, they are expected perform better. They will get little respite with pink ball against the spin duo of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar. "Maybe a thought is scheduling a few more pink ball games in domestic cricket back home if it is going to be played on the global circuit". First the one-day came, then Twenty20 came so it's a good step to keep Test cricket alive. The visibility of the pink ball is under question at dusk especially as the ball is with the black seam.
Talking about the demand for balls in the recent years, Khawaja said, "Last year we produced about 120,000 cricket balls (all colors), but our demand is growing".
"There are still quite a few positives we can look at".
"I think most of the guys are complaining about the fact that they aren't able to pick the seam of the ball that well, I don't know for whatever reason but we can't do anything about it, it is what it is, and we need to accept the challenge as quickly as possible and go out there and give our best shot", said Darren Bravo, West Indies batsman.
Australia and New Zealand featured in the inaugural day-night Test match at Adelaide in November last year - the first in the 140-year history of Test cricket.
What to expect: Clear skies with a high of 34 degree Celsius.
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Holder, however, believes sighting the pink ball could pose a challenge.
To make it even more memorable, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has arranged it as a Day/Night, Pink Ball contest.
"West Indies will not be an easy team to beat", he said.
Pakistan enter the series with the edge, having won six of their last 12 outings against the West Indies in the last 16 years and lost just three.
Yasir Shah vs Marlon Samuels - These two are regarded as the main arsenal in their team.
- The last time West Indies played Pakistan in an away series was almost a decade ago - in November 2006 in Pakistan.
"At the moment it looks like the future, as far as the interest of the audience who want to watch Test cricket after they come from work", Misbah said on Wednesday.
