Australian speedster Mitchell Starc acknowledged that there could be some assistance for bowlers under lights with the pink ball. The ongoing series between West Indies and Australia has been dominated by bowlers, and that trend may well continue as Sabina Park prepares to host its first-ever day-night Test.
This will be only the second pink-ball Test held in the Caribbean, following the 2018 encounter between West Indies and Sri Lanka in Barbados, a low-scoring match that extended into the fourth day only due to rain interruptions. The current Test will be played with a Dukes ball, and both teams have had just one training session with the pink ball under lights.
It also marks Australia’s first day-night Test away from home. They have played 13 pink-ball Tests so far, with their only defeat coming at the hands of the West Indies at the Gabba in 2024.
“There might be a few things going on at night with the pink Dukes. It’s a new one for us as a group. I think Usman [Khawaja] is the only one who’s played with a pink Dukes, and it was an English Dukes, and he said the county game went for a day-and-a-half,” Starc said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Starc revealed that Australia’s top-order batters had reported swing and nip during their pink-ball training session, noting that the ball retained its hardness despite the limited time under lights. This comes in contrast to the red Dukes ball used earlier in the series, which has gone soft and out of shape frequently, leading to a considerable number of ball changes.
Starc, widely regarded as the master of pink-ball cricket, has taken 74 wickets at an impressive average of 18.14 in day-night Tests. He is set to play his 100th Test in Jamaica and is just five wickets away from reaching the 400-wicket milestone.
The left-arm pacer observed that the pitch at Sabina Park appears to be the most even surface of the series so far. The previous Tests in Barbados and Grenada were marked by variable bounce and significant seam movement, which heavily influenced the contests.
“I don’t think it’s poetic, but it’s quite funny that I’m playing [the] 100th in a pink-ball game. It looks like it’s probably the most even covering of grass we’ve had. It’s a bit of a lottery to see what the wickets do, but at first look it looks the best of the three,” said Starc.
The installation of floodlights at Sabina Park was completed just in time, following numerous delays. While the lights are constructed at a lower height compared to many international venues, their brightness (Lux) levels meet or exceed all required standards. There are a few slightly dimmer spots near the boundaries, specifically in front of the Kingston Cricket Club and at the Courtney Walsh End, but the Australian team did not report any significant issues during their training session.
“Not anything too dark. Just the different levels of lights were something that people were getting used to. But, overall, I think it’s pretty good,” Starc said.
West Indies have featured in five previous day-night Tests, with their only win coming against Australia last year. At most, only four players from that victory are expected to feature in the current match. Notably, the team’s only century in a pink-ball Test was scored by Darren Bravo against Pakistan in 2016.
Playing pink-ball is an exciting challenge: King
So far in this series, no player has reached triple figures, with Brandon King‘s 75 remaining the highest individual score to date.
“It’s a challenge, but an exciting challenge. It’s something I’m looking forward to. You want to play against the best in any arena that you’re in. They’ve played the most pink-ball games, so they’re very experienced,” said King.
“Sabina Park is usually a decent wicket. It’s usually a balanced wicket, something for the bowlers, something for the batters. And that’s what you want. Obviously, the previous two [Tests] were very challenging [for the batters],” he added.
The previous Test at Sabina Park, played against Bangladesh last year, saw a highest innings total of just 268. It was left-arm spinner Taijul Islam who turned the tide, claiming a five-wicket haul in West Indies’ second innings to seal a victory for the visitors.
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