MITCHELL JOHNSON: Bazballer Joe Root citing tradition in bid to kill off pink ball Ashes Test is hypocritical
The annual pink ball Test in Australia is always going to stir debate, and Joe Root added fresh fuel by saying he personally doesn’t think it belongs in an Ashes series.
For once, I’m right there with him. While it’s clearly not changing any time soon, because broadcasters love it and administrators won’t let it go, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question how it fits into the traditions of the Ashes.
Australia won’t be losing any sleep over it. Their record under lights is outstanding: 14 pink-ball Tests and only one defeat. If you’re the home side and you know the conditions better than anyone, of course you’ll take the advantage.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.But advantage isn’t the problem. Tradition is. And even within the English camp, they can’t quite decide how to feel about that.
Stuart Broad called the pink ball “a bit of a lottery”, which, coming from a bloke who used to swing a Dukes ball like he’d signed a contract with the weather gods, is saying something.
Root’s comments were more measured: he doesn’t think it suits an Ashes series. Fair enough.
But the funny part is hearing Root talk about tradition in the same breath he’s trying to play ramp shots and reverse-ramps, coming down the wicket first ball after a break, and keeping pace with Bazball’s “hit-first-ask-questions-later” philosophy.
Ramp shots and tradition go together like sunscreen and an English summer.
Test cricket doesn’t survive on gimmicks; it survives on connection, the crowd feeling every moment.
Root also mentioned the different elements you have to contend with in Brisbane, and he’s right.
The twilight period at the Gabba is no joke.
A pink ball in that fading light can be hard to pick up, not just for batters, but even for players in the field.
There’s been a lot of work put into making the pink ball more visible and more durable over the years, but it’s still not the same as a red ball.
Under full lights, with the Gabba grass standing up, the lacquer shining and the ball swinging around corners and seaming, you’re going to see tactics you’d never see in daytime Test cricket. In some ways, it becomes a different game.
And that raises the real question: what do the fans think? It’s one thing for players to adapt, but Test cricket belongs to the people who watch it.
Early on, I heard plenty of people say the pink ball was tough to follow from the stands.
If spectators can’t track the ball as easily as a red one, that’s not a win for the game. Test cricket doesn’t survive on gimmicks; it survives on connection, the crowd feeling every moment.
It feels like most teams, especially Australia, have accepted the pink ball is here to stay. They’ve been the best at playing it tactically and mentally.
But for me, because pink ball Tests are almost exclusively played in Australia and only once a year, it does take something away from an Ashes series.
The Ashes doesn’t need anything extra. No bells, no whistles, no neon-light cricket balls. Just the baggy green, the creams, and that beautiful red ball doing what it’s done for over a century: creating moments you never forget.
I’m not trying to sound like a ‘has-been’, though every time that word gets thrown around in modern cricket land, it feels like it’s aimed at anyone older than 30. This is the current generation’s game, and they should play it their way.
But I’ll always stand up for keeping the essence of Test cricket intact. Innovate the white-ball formats as much as you want, change the rules, colours, boundary ropes, whatever. But when it comes to Test cricket, especially the Ashes, let’s protect what makes it unique.
Because long after Bazball fades, long after trends come and go, it’s the baggy green, the rivalry, and the red ball that stand the test of time.
