Marnus Labuschagne breaks his silence on the comedy that saw the Sydney Test delayed due to bad lighting – and reveals why he doesn’t stand by using a pink ball is NOT the answer
- Marnus Labuschagne did not want to use pink cricket balls because of the poor light
- Follows 43 overs not bowled in Sydney on the first day of the Third Test
- Labuschagne believes that pink balls ‘do not offer consistency, are often played incorrectly’
- The likes of Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh and Allan Border are on another page
Hate to see pink balls used during Tests because of Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne’s poor starlight – but fans in the know didn’t last long on day one at the SCG on Wednesday.
Rain and poor visibility meant just 47 overs were completed as Australia took on South Africa, leading to a chorus of criticism from former greats such as Steve Waugh, his twin brother Mark and the ex-Test skipper Allan Border.
But Labuschagne, 28, said the introduction of pink balls – used in the nightly Adelaide Test – was not the answer in his eyes.
‘I really hope not, because the balls are very different,’ Labuschagne told reporters.
‘There is no consistency in the pink ball. There is no consistent swing, everything happens erratically.
Star Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne doesn’t want to see the pink balls used during Tests because of bad lighting – despite 43 overs being lost on the first day of the Third Test at the SCG
Aussie great Mark Waugh said on commentary for Fox Sports that play should have continued under floodlights
‘The balls are made differently….and react differently to spin and speed.’
Queenslander Labuschagne was dismissed for 79 by Proteas quick Anrich Nortje in what proved to be the last ball of the day before the umpires called stumps just before 6pm local time.
‘Sometimes you feel like you can really see (the red ball) when it’s dark,’ he added.
‘But this wasn’t one of those days. And the red ball under the lights, it doesn’t stand out. It is quite hard and dull.
‘It’s probably more dangerous for the fielders, because you can’t see it square of the wicket.
‘(Having said that), the game has to be safe. And when you’ve got two teams bowling fast, you can’t go out there when it’s too dark.’
Former skipper Steve Waugh blasted the ICC after a disappointing day of Test cricket in Sydney on Wednesday
Bad lighting caused a two-and-a-half-hour delay, but officials kept the lights on
Former Test skipper Steve Waugh took to Instagram, urging the ICC to ‘take the time’ after 43 overs were lost.
‘Test cricket needs to realize that there is a lot of competition out there and not using the lights when the players are off for the bad light doesn’t add up,’ he wrote.
‘There are many unhappy spectators who do not understand the rationale and reason for not playing. #commonsense #movewiththetimes @icc @cricketaustralia.’
Fellow former skipper Allan Border also weighed in on the chat, stating the light rules were ‘too soft’, while Mark Waugh said on commentary for Fox Sports that it should have continued under floodlights.
