Pakistan great Wasim Akram says there’s still plenty of work to be done to improve pink-ball cricket.
Australia wrapped up the series against Pakistan by an innings at 48 runs at Adelaide Oval yesterday, with over 90,000 people attending the four days of the pink-ball Test.
There’s plenty of debate whether India will finally relent and play day-night cricket in Australia for the first time next summer after their home day-night Test against Bangaldesh late last night proved a hit.
But while Akram is a fan of playing under lights and engaging a new audience, he’s still concerned about the softness of the luminous ball.
“Yasir Shah getting a (century) was surprising, even for me especially against this pace attack,” he said on SEN Test Cricket.
‘That’s got to do with the pink ball, bowlers have realised that nothing is going to happen.”
Akram said there’s “quite a bit” of work to do be done to improve the pink ball, lamenting how quickly the ball changes compared to the traditional red one used during day Test cricket.
“It appears to me from watching the last three or four days that it gets soft very quickly and it’s maybe fun to play Test cricket at night, but they need to work hard on this pink ball,” he said.
“It doesn’t stay hard enough for longer periods and after 20 or 25 overs it gets soft and the bounce is not there.”
The three-Test series against New Zealand gets underway with a day-night Test in Perth next week.
Listen to Wasim Akram's comments on SEN Test Cricket in the player below.