Pink Ball vs Red Ball - What Is The Difference?

Cricket Image for Pink Ball vs Red Ball - What Is The Difference? (Image Source: AFP)

Cricket is an ever-evolving sport and its administrators have tried to make sure they keep up with the changes. Since the past decade, Test Cricket's relevance has been in question but ICC has come up with different options to keep things interesting for the viewers and the players. 

Day/Night test matches are now a regular occurrence in a long test series, especially in Australia. The reason to play Test Matches at night is to gather more viewers and keep the format relevant. 

However, to make this happen, many things had to be kept in mind. One of the major things was the ball. After many experiments, ball makers came up with optic yellow and bright orange for D/N tests. 

Although the fielders and bowlers were comfortable spotting the ball but batters complained about the colors mixing with the brownish pitches. Makers also thought of using dark green or white seam on the ball but Australia's Steve Smith said the seam's visibility is a must. 

The makers finally came up with a pink colored ball with a black seam. How was it different than the red ball? Let's take a look. 

The internal material of both the pink ball and the red ball is the same - cotswool and cork. It is on the outside the major differences are. 

On the red ball, wax is applied. As the match progresses, the ball absorbs the wax and if the team maintains the ball, it results in the reverse swing. The wax also helps in making the ball red. A pink ball is needed to remain shiny and visible for a longer period so ball polish is applied to it. No wax is used on the pink ball - that will make it darker. 

In pink ball, the seam is more prominent since it is made of synthetic and linen, which absorbs due and helps in better grip. On the red ball, the seam is made of synthetic only. The more prominent seam in the pink ball helps in 20% more movement than the red ball. 

Since the polish/lacquer is applied, the pink ball is likely to swing more in the first 10-15 overs than the red ball. The lacquer doesn't come off easily and helps the pink ball shoot faster off the pitch. 

One of the myths regarding the pink ball is it is lighter than the red ball. It is false since the MCC has clearly made the law that a cricket ball should weigh between 156 to 162 grams otherwise it will be rejected. The reason why a white ball feels lighter than a red ball is that it is made with a bouncier core than a red or pink ball.