Ollie Robinson has called day-night Test cricket a ‘gimmick’ and believes England’s attacking approach will do more to save the format than playing under floodlights.
It is no surprise England are not keen on pink ball Tests having lost five out five overseas, with Robinson playing in two heavy defeats in Australia last winter.
He was the last man to be dismissed in the Ashes series, bowled middle stump backing away in Hobart, an image that summed up a sorry tour and a tough one for him personally.
This is the first time England have played a day-night Test in New Zealand, the authorities hoping it will draw in a crowd; the match is not sold out however. Evidence so far shows that supporters tend to drift away in the final session as the temperature dips, although the cyclone currently hitting the north island should have passed through by the time the match starts on Thursday.
The pink kookaburra ball is also unpopular with players, England said they found it hard to pick up in Hamilton this week when the lights came on. It also offers bowlers very little in the day time and England will rely on cross seam and short balls to manufacture chances before hoping it does more under the lights.
“It’s a bit gimmicky. They’re trying to get crowds and change the game a little bit but the way England are playing Test cricket at the moment, I don’t think that needs to happen,” said Robinson. “We could stick to how we’re going and we’re entertaining people as we are so I’m not sure if it’s necessary really. Just traditional Test cricket… there’s nothing wrong with it to start with. I don’t think we need to play these pink ball games.”
‘We’ve been trying to get the pink ball moving and it’s challenging’
Robinson expects to lose the new ball to Stuart Broad, with his prowess to left-handers – there are two at the top of the New Zealand order – probably more relevant than his seniority.
“I think they [pink balls] are different. Some have swung, some have seamed and some are harder, some are softer. The warm up game the other day, I got hit with a 65 over old ball and it hurt more than a brand new ball. It’s just like a rock,” said Robinson. “So I think like they’re just all different and it’s so hard to set yourself up and set the game because you don’t know how they’re gonna react in the game. It’s just tough work.”
The sun will dip around 7.30pm local time giving perhaps 90 minutes under the lights for the bowlers to exploit. Robinson has a good record with the pink ball, 16 wickets at 21, similar to his Test average of just over 20.
“We’ve been trying a lot in the last week or so to get the pink ball moving and it’s proved pretty challenging,” he said. “It’s not as consistent as the red ball, Dukes or Kookaburra, which swings for a little and allows you to shine them. This has a layer or lacquer on it and it’s really hard to shine and keep it swinging. It’s definitely going to be a different challenge but we’ve got the attack here and our batters are whacking it which is great.”
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