Former South Africa fast bowler Shaun Pollock has urged cricket to embrace the pink ball in conventional daytime Test matches after repeated bad-light interruptions disrupted the opening Test between Australia and South Africa in Durban, raising questions about whether a recent International Cricket Council (ICC) rule change goes far enough.
The ICC amended its Test playing conditions earlier in October to permit teams to use a pink ball throughout a daytime match when poor light is anticipated. However, the arrangement requires agreement before the Test begins and does not allow officials to replace a red ball with a pink one once play is underway.
That distinction has become particularly relevant at Kingsmead, where deteriorating afternoon light repeatedly forced early finishes despite favourable conditions earlier in the day.
Pollock, who served on the ICC committee that recommended the change, believes cricket must reconsider its reluctance to use pink balls outside traditional day-night Tests.
Speaking during a discussion broadcast by the host broadcaster, Pollock said: “I’m not saying for one moment that we should have used the pink ball and played a day-night game. I just believed we should have used the pink ball for the day game.”
Bad light exposes limits of ICC’s new pink-ball rule
The first three days of the Durban Test were repeatedly curtailed by fading light, with only 221 of the scheduled 270 overs completed, according to one account of the match. The interruptions amounted to approximately 49 overs lost against that scheduled total.
Play ended at 3:23pm local time on the opening day after 65.2 overs, while the second and third days concluded at 4:25pm and 4:31pm, respectively.
The match began each morning at 9:30am, but afternoon cloud cover frequently reduced visibility well before the available playing time had been exhausted.
Australia and South Africa had not agreed to use a pink ball before the match, leaving the new provision untested in Durban.
Pollock estimated that a different choice could have preserved a substantial amount of cricket.
“The pink ball would have meant we played 45 more overs of Test cricket and that is why I am keen to introduce it, and not just for day-night games,” Pollock added.
Should places like Durban, where bad light often stops play, use pink balls instead of red balls? 🏏 What do you think of Shaun Pollock’s chat here 👇 #SAvAUS #SSCricket https://t.co/GIGtTMMzdq
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 11, 2026
The debate has implications beyond Durban. Test cricket’s governing bodies and participating teams must balance the desire to maximise playing time against concerns that different ball types could alter the competitive conditions of a match.
Why Durban’s weather has repeatedly interrupted play
The interruptions have been particularly frustrating because the deterioration in light has followed a recognisable local weather pattern.
Kingsmead is hosting its first October Test, with afternoon cloud formation influenced by changing temperatures, sea breezes and increasing humidity.
BBC Weather Presenter Chris Fawkes, as quoted by BBC Sport, explained: “Very quickly in the morning, as temperatures have risen inland as the sun heats the ground, a sea breeze has formed with winds coming from the sea into Durban.”
He continued: “This has increased humidity levels through the morning and brought some cloud in. As temperatures have started to fall again towards the evening, this has increased the relative humidity with the air getting increasingly saturated.”
Fawkes added: “That has caused the cloud to get thicker and lower.”
The combination has meant that bright morning conditions have offered little assurance of uninterrupted play later in the afternoon, strengthening the case for considering alternative arrangements before matches begin.
Pollock challenges cricket’s resistance to the pink ball
Despite the ICC’s new provision, concerns remain about whether the pink ball offers a fair substitute for the red ball in conventional Tests.
The pink ball has primarily been associated with day-night cricket, where its greater visibility under artificial lighting allows matches to continue into the evening. Its behaviour and durability, however, have attracted criticism from players and coaches.
Pollock believes the debate is influenced as much by established perceptions as by the practical advantages of using a more visible ball.
“There is a stigma that has been created around the pink ball,” Pollock said.
He pointed to Australia’s first innings in Durban as an example of how contrasting outcomes could both be attributed to the ball.
Australia recovered from 124/6 to reach 390, with Matt Renshaw scoring 190. Pollock argued that, had a pink ball been used, critics might have blamed it for either the early wickets or the subsequent batting recovery.
The former South Africa fast bowler also questioned whether teams would make the same decision in a high-stakes World Test Championship fixture if significant playing time were at risk.
His position is that a daytime pink-ball Test should not automatically be treated as a day-night contest, particularly when the principal objective is to reduce interruptions.
Ashwell Prince warns of unequal pink-ball experience
Not everyone involved in the Durban Test supports moving away from the traditional red ball.
Former South Africa Captain and Senior Assistant Coach Ashwell Prince, speaking after play on Day 3, expressed a clear preference for maintaining the established format.
“For me, outside of a day-night Test, it’s got to be a red ball,” Prince said.
Prince also identified a practical obstacle to the ICC’s new arrangement: the different levels of experience teams have accumulated with pink-ball cricket.
“I think obviously some nations have played a lot more pink ball cricket than others and so, therefore, to get both captains to agree is always going to be a challenge,” Prince explained.
Australia’s familiarity with the format is particularly significant. The team has featured in 15 day-night Tests, substantially more than any other nation, while Mitchell Starc has taken 89 wickets in those matches.
That experience could make opponents reluctant to agree to pink-ball conditions, even when poor light threatens to shorten the contest.
The difference in experience helps explain why the new option may be difficult to implement in bilateral Tests.
Should umpires decide when to introduce a pink ball?
Former South Africa bowler Vernon Philander has proposed a different approach that would place responsibility with match officials rather than the competing teams.
As quoted by BBC Sport, Philander argued that umpires should be empowered to introduce a pink ball when fading light makes continued play with the red ball impractical.
He acknowledged that switching balls during an innings could raise questions about competitive advantage, particularly if one team were in a stronger position when conditions changed.
His proposal would therefore require a different approach to maintaining fairness when playing conditions deteriorate.
The distinction raises a broader governance question: whether preserving consistent playing conditions throughout a Test should take priority over finding ways to recover playing time.
Phil Jaques calls for more evidence from daytime trials
Former Australia Test opener Phil Jaques believes further experimentation is necessary before teams can make informed decisions about the pink ball in conventional daytime Tests.
Speaking to foxsports.com.au, Jaques questioned whether existing evidence from day-night cricket provides an accurate guide to how the ball would perform during a match beginning in the morning.
“So I think there probably needs to be a time where they do try it in a daytime game with a pink ball starting at 9:30am like this one and see what would happen, because at the moment we haven’t got any real evidence as to how it would play in the morning,” Jaques said.
Jaques noted that pitches for day-night Tests can carry more grass than those prepared for conventional matches, potentially affecting how the ball behaves.
He also highlighted the difference between batting during the daylight portion of a day-night Test, often after the pitch has already been exposed for several hours, and facing a new ball on a fresh morning surface.
These variables make it difficult to determine whether concerns about excessive movement under lights or reduced assistance to bowlers during daylight would translate to a standard daytime Test.
Alternative ball experiments highlight the technical challenges
Cricket has previously explored alternatives to the red ball in an effort to improve visibility.
Former Australia batter Simon Katich, speaking during the host broadcaster’s discussion alongside Pollock, recalled using an orange ball on his first-class debut for Western Australia at the Gabba in 1997.
Katich said the orange ball was not difficult to see and recalled that it retained its hardness later into an innings, contrasting with concerns that pink balls can soften over time.
However, the experiments also revealed complications for television coverage.
Former Kookaburra Managing Director Rob Elliot explained to the Herald Sun in 2010 that orange-ball trials were abandoned because the ball’s appearance on television created visibility problems, including a trailing visual effect that could make it difficult to distinguish from the background.
The experience illustrates why developing a suitable ball involves more than improving visibility for players. Durability, movement, broadcast presentation and consistency across playing conditions also matter.
Australia take control as South Africa face daunting final-day chase
The discussion over lost overs has unfolded alongside a Test in which Australia have established a commanding position.
After recovering to 390 in their first innings, Australia dismissed South Africa for 284 to secure a 106-run lead. The visitors then declared their second innings at 314/6, setting South Africa a target of 421.
At stumps on Day 4, South Africa were 102/4 after 41 overs, requiring another 319 runs for victory. Australia needed six more wickets heading into the final day.
With Australia in a strong position, the remaining question on the field is whether their bowlers can secure those wickets before the match runs out of time.
For the ICC, the Durban Test has provided an immediate illustration of the gap between introducing a new playing condition and persuading teams to use it.
The central question is whether cricket can find a practical way to protect playing time without creating new disagreements over fairness, ball behaviour and competitive advantage.
