Pink Ball caper

Surrey 374-6
v Yorkshire
close on Day 1

County Championship Division One

Played at Headingley

Monday 26 June 2017

Twitter @ball_sup

Pink Ball Experiment

I don't know. What are we trying to achieve? For what it's worth, I think we're just part of a worldwide thing. We know Test Cricket is struggling in parts of the world. Particularly away from the Marquee series. If you're trying to make a New Zealand v West Indies Test work, then I can fully understand why you might want to try summat new. While not particularly for it, I'm not against it either.

Touch wood, I'll be at the inaugural Day/Night Pink Ball Ashes Test at Adelaide later in the year. But, I don't quite get that. You don't struggle with crowds (yet) for Ashes Tests. Today was partly preparation for the inaugural Day/Night Pink Ball Test at Edgbaston later in our Summer. Which I also don't quite get. Long Summer days over here in England. Edgbaston is a very popular ground. I'm not sure they'll pull in any more by having it under lights.

What I will say is I expect Floodlit Cricket to localise support. Piss poor late night train services. Make it more difficult for people from (say) Sheffield to get back from a floodlit game in (say) Headingley. Leaving the ground at 2050, will have me arriving Sheffield Station at 2301. Not great.

I'm happy to be part of the experiment. But. Surely. There is no reason for, nor future in Pink Ball Cricket for the four day County Championship. I think you'll do well to keep it ticking over with the “couple of thousand” we can pull in at Headingley. Playing you & me might drag the gate down from playing Root & Bairstow. But, tinker tinker tinker, there ain't gonna be much in it whatever you do. In my considered opinion.

I've seen Pink Ball Cricket before in Abu Dhabi. My view remains roughly the same. Viewing from high up. So the ball is often against the grass is not too bad. Lower down, with the ball against the seats & stands is not so good.

The Rey have had the best of that day. Fair play. Yorkshire kept at it & chiselled away. Early on, Yorkshire beat the bat. But, Rory Burns did what I've been imploring YCCC openers to do. He stuck there. Concentrated. He'll be disappointed to have gone for 90. But, he soaked up 186 balls & 244 minutes. A 90, two 80s, some 30s. That maths will work. Already uphill for Yorkshire from here. Got to bat like they have.

Abbeydale/Magic Rock/Northern Monk/Siren, 4 Degrees Of Separation IPA from a tin at 7%.

That's pushing my buttons obviously. The story being that all these brewers started at Abbeydale. Have subsequently gone on to other things. And came back for a one off 7% IPA. Gets there. The dominant thing is bitterness. As it should be. Lots of pineapple on the nose. Dries in the mouth. A little tobacco. A little citrus. Then boom. The rich, intense bitterness.

494/1042