Usman Khawaja shoots down Glenn McGrath call amid shock new detail in SCG light farce
The Aussie cricket star isn't having a bar of the idea being floated.
Usman Khawaja has bluntly rejected calls for a pink ball to be used in Test matches in instances of bad light, an idea supported by Glenn McGrath. Cricket fans and commentators were left fuming on Thursday when umpires decided to take players from the ground during the SCG Test due to bad light.
Play never resumed as rain hit Sydney about an hour later, but a number of cricket greats were left furious over the decision regarding the light. News Corp has since reported that the umpires went off "gut feel" because they didn't have a working light meter, deciding the light wasn't good enough for play to continue.
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A number of ideas have been floating around about how Test cricket can survive and thrive despite its archaic rules, with many calling for a full-time switch to a pink ball. The pink ball is used in day-night Tests, but some believe it should be used for all matches.
Others have suggested a pink ball could be brought out when the light is poor. "We play day-night Test cricket, there is a pink ball which is usable, is approved, everyone is happy to be playing in Brisbane at the back end of this summer with the pink ball,” Ali Mitchell said on Channel 7 on Thursday. “So, when we have bad lights, can we have a box of used-worn pink balls, and then we switch from the red to a pink ball of similar age and we can just get on with the match.
“I know it would change things - it’s going to behave differently. We had a change of ball at the Ashes, at The Oval – that was a red ball change, and it did change things. So it is happening in the game anyway. This would keep the game going.”
McGrath responded: “It’s not a bad idea. It’s all about keeping the game going. We’ve got 25,000-plus people sitting in the crowd, it’s not raining, fair enough it’s a little overcast, but they want to see a game of cricket.
“Us in the commentary box, we want to see a game of cricket, and the players want to be playing half the time as well. I think whatever it takes to get the game going, keep the game moving forward and people watching.”
Usman Khawaja rejects switch to pink ball for Test cricket
But Khawaja isn't having a bar of it. Discussing the situation after play on Thursday, the veteran Aussie opener said: "That's just cricket, it's been going on for 100 years. The laws haven't changed. Light is light. It's a red ball. It's still very hard to see the red balls. Unless you can replicate the sun, I'm not really sure what (can be done)."
When asked about the prospect of a pink ball being used, Khawaja flatly rejected it. "If (that happens), I'm retiring," he quipped. "The red ball is so distinct. I've played white ball, I've played pink ball, red ball, they all react so differently. Nothing reacts like that red ball.
"The beauty of Test cricket, and what I love about Test cricket, is it really hasn't changed a lot in the last 100 years. It's still bat versus ball. The competition is still there. The wicket still deteriorates. The team most disciplined usually wins. It's a long grind.
"We've got T20 cricket, we've got one-day cricket. Yes, there's parts of Test cricket that have changed over the years, but the basic concept of it hasn't. It sucks, but this is Test cricket unfortunately. And when it rains or when you have bad light, you just have to cop it."
with AAP
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