I have previously posted a couple of threads in which I showcased the trends in Pink Ball Day/Night cricket in Australia.
This thread summarises that information and starts a discussion about how Pakistan can take advantage of those trends.
1) The basic parameters of Day/Night Pink Ball cricket in Australia
- the pitch is left greener than usual and the outfield is left very lush to protect the Pink Ball.
- this means that there is never, ever any Reverse Swing or Spin.
- wickets tumble in the first hour of darkness. This seems to be related to changes in visibility, because the second hour of darkness is less difficult to bat in.
- teams tend to make a strategic floodlit declaration, because it's much easier to take wickets in the dark.
- teams make the bulk of their runs in the first two sessions, in daylight.
- tall fast-medium bowlers tend to be most effective, while express bowlers and spinners are much less effective.
- Steve Smith as a domestic captain has tended to leave his strategic floodlit declarations too late. He is fearful of not having enough runs, so tends to declare just 10 overs before the close. In the recent game he did so after his own team suffered floodlit collapses of 5-24 and 4-50 as the sun set, but only took 1 wicket in the remaining 10 overs as the light stabilised.
2) Specific factors related to Day/Night cricket at Brisbane
- the sun sets earlier than in Adelaide, so the difficult batting period starts just before the dinner break, and finishes halfway through the final session.
- there is more humidity than in Adelaide. This doesn't tend to cause much dew, but frequently in December - when Pakistan plays there - thunderstorms wipe out the final session.
3) What must Pakistan prepare for?
Rule 1: Score runs in daylight, declare no later than Dinner Time.
Rule 2: Make sure that your tail can bat, because if you lose the toss and end up being forced to bat from the Dinner break your top five will probably get wiped out in a hurry. Numbers 5, 6 and 7 need to survive and score runs in the final hour, and numbers 8-11 need to add another 100 runs the next morning.
Rule 3: Forget reverse swing. Wahab Riaz will be important at Melbourne and Sydney, but he would be a specialist batsman at the Gabba Day/Night Test.
Rule 4: Forget spin. Your spinner's main role is as a batsman, like Mitchell Santner and even Nathan Lyon next year. If you must pick a spinner, pick a part-timer who can bat - Mohammad Nawaz or Imad Wasim.
Rule 5: Include at least 1 tall right-arm quick. Josh Hazelwood was devastating last year, and Mohammad Asif was born for these conditions. Failing that, pick Ehsan Adil - but not Sohail Khan.
Rule 6: Include 4 quicks, but ensure that at least 2 and preferably 3 of them can score 30+. If the opposition declares at Dinner at 220-6 and then reduces you to 70-6 at the close, it's not that hard to profit under daylight the next morning for your tail to make it up to 190 all out.
OPTION 1: My team for a Pink Ball Day/Night Gabba Test
1. Sami Aslam
2. Azhar Ali
3. Asad Shafiq
4. Younis Khan
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Sarfraz Ahmed
7. Aamer Yamin
8. Mohammad Nawaz
9. Hasan Ali
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Mohammad Asif
Potential problems:
a) Can this team contain the scoring rate in daylight?
b) Can this team take wickets in daylight?
c) Are Yamin/Nawaz/Hasan the most effective all-rounders for positions 7, 8 and 9 which absolutely demand an all-rounder due to the factors listed above?
Option B - the likely Misbah picks
1. Sami Aslam
2. Azhar Ali
3. Asad Shafiq
4. Younis Khan
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Babar Azam
7. Sarfraz Ahmed
8. Yasir Shah
9. Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Sohail Khan
Potential problems:
a) 70-6 under lights is likely to become 90 all out.
b) Neither Wahab nor Yasir is likely to get any assistance from the pitch. When that happened to Yasir at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge he was a disaster.
This thread summarises that information and starts a discussion about how Pakistan can take advantage of those trends.
1) The basic parameters of Day/Night Pink Ball cricket in Australia
- the pitch is left greener than usual and the outfield is left very lush to protect the Pink Ball.
- this means that there is never, ever any Reverse Swing or Spin.
- wickets tumble in the first hour of darkness. This seems to be related to changes in visibility, because the second hour of darkness is less difficult to bat in.
- teams tend to make a strategic floodlit declaration, because it's much easier to take wickets in the dark.
- teams make the bulk of their runs in the first two sessions, in daylight.
- tall fast-medium bowlers tend to be most effective, while express bowlers and spinners are much less effective.
- Steve Smith as a domestic captain has tended to leave his strategic floodlit declarations too late. He is fearful of not having enough runs, so tends to declare just 10 overs before the close. In the recent game he did so after his own team suffered floodlit collapses of 5-24 and 4-50 as the sun set, but only took 1 wicket in the remaining 10 overs as the light stabilised.
2) Specific factors related to Day/Night cricket at Brisbane
- the sun sets earlier than in Adelaide, so the difficult batting period starts just before the dinner break, and finishes halfway through the final session.
- there is more humidity than in Adelaide. This doesn't tend to cause much dew, but frequently in December - when Pakistan plays there - thunderstorms wipe out the final session.
3) What must Pakistan prepare for?
Rule 1: Score runs in daylight, declare no later than Dinner Time.
Rule 2: Make sure that your tail can bat, because if you lose the toss and end up being forced to bat from the Dinner break your top five will probably get wiped out in a hurry. Numbers 5, 6 and 7 need to survive and score runs in the final hour, and numbers 8-11 need to add another 100 runs the next morning.
Rule 3: Forget reverse swing. Wahab Riaz will be important at Melbourne and Sydney, but he would be a specialist batsman at the Gabba Day/Night Test.
Rule 4: Forget spin. Your spinner's main role is as a batsman, like Mitchell Santner and even Nathan Lyon next year. If you must pick a spinner, pick a part-timer who can bat - Mohammad Nawaz or Imad Wasim.
Rule 5: Include at least 1 tall right-arm quick. Josh Hazelwood was devastating last year, and Mohammad Asif was born for these conditions. Failing that, pick Ehsan Adil - but not Sohail Khan.
Rule 6: Include 4 quicks, but ensure that at least 2 and preferably 3 of them can score 30+. If the opposition declares at Dinner at 220-6 and then reduces you to 70-6 at the close, it's not that hard to profit under daylight the next morning for your tail to make it up to 190 all out.
OPTION 1: My team for a Pink Ball Day/Night Gabba Test
1. Sami Aslam
2. Azhar Ali
3. Asad Shafiq
4. Younis Khan
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Sarfraz Ahmed
7. Aamer Yamin
8. Mohammad Nawaz
9. Hasan Ali
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Mohammad Asif
Potential problems:
a) Can this team contain the scoring rate in daylight?
b) Can this team take wickets in daylight?
c) Are Yamin/Nawaz/Hasan the most effective all-rounders for positions 7, 8 and 9 which absolutely demand an all-rounder due to the factors listed above?
Option B - the likely Misbah picks
1. Sami Aslam
2. Azhar Ali
3. Asad Shafiq
4. Younis Khan
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
6. Babar Azam
7. Sarfraz Ahmed
8. Yasir Shah
9. Wahab Riaz
10. Mohammad Amir
11. Sohail Khan
Potential problems:
a) 70-6 under lights is likely to become 90 all out.
b) Neither Wahab nor Yasir is likely to get any assistance from the pitch. When that happened to Yasir at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge he was a disaster.
Please bother to explain how Sohail bowls wrong line & length (& I mean it for green tops & pink ball) & then justify how he had couple of 5fers on Day 1 of a UK Test against batsmen, arguably best against new ball & swing/seem condition.
