Red Ball vs Pink Ball

After test cricket witnessed some of the pink ball tests it became very clear that it is not the color of the ball that different ,but also the way the pink ball behaves is different from the red ball. The basic reason for this is the making of the red and the pink balls.

The red ball has a white color seam on it, whereas the pink ball has a black color seam on it. The pink ball has way more shine and glaze than the traditional red ball as the pink ball is coated with extra lacquer (in simple words, it is coated with extra layer of paint) which gives it enormous shine compared to its counterpart. This is done so that the pink ball retains its hardness and can last minimum 80 overs and also because if the extra lacquer is not there then the color may also start fading due to which the batsmen may not be able to sight the ball (especially during the evening session) and the purpose of introducing the pink ball will not hold any meaning.

However because of this lacquer, the pink ball allows more swing and bounce (especially when it is new) and a combination of a green pitch can make the life of the batsmen even more miserable and that is why pink ball can be really helpful in English or Australian conditions. On the other hand, the red ball offers some initial swing but as it gets older it loses its swing (which the pink ball retains for a longer time) but can allow some reverse swing when one side of the red ball is shinier than the other (which can be difficult in a pink ball).

In case of spinners, the pink ball may not provide much help when compared to the red ball, which provides drastic spin during the later half of the match (especially in the sub-continent and Down under) as the pink is tend to retain its shine for a longer period and therefore may not turn and drift to the extent of the red ball, but it might help the spinners with some extra bit of bounce that may trouble the batsmen.

Therefore in the future you may witness more number of pink ball tests in English or Australian conditions than the sub-continent conditions because of the difference in nature of the pink ball and red ball, and every home team will look to make conditions favorable for their side and this is where a pink ball may help or create problems for a particular side.