Eventually, the Pink ball became the apt alternative to the Red ball. Why was the Color Pink Chosen as an Alternative to the Red ball? This ball should never be used with a batter or bat in the net as it can cause damage to both player and bat. Up until the outbreak of the second world war, Dukes were the predominant brand across the world. From the late 1940’s onwards, the Kookaburra name began to break away and earn important contracts in Australia. As well as being harder (apparently six bats were broken when the New Zealand team tested the white ball out), they also swung more according to some players. History doesn’t give us an individual name here. We know that the balls used in the 18th century looked very similar to the ones that are played with today.

Depending on the surface and overhead conditions, the red ball will swing more throughout the course of its life cycle. It also has a more pronounced seam than the white alternative and this helps the seam bowlers to be more effective. As an effective compromise, a pink ball was devised. It’s a very bright pink and can therefore be seen at all times of the day. In addition, it’s also a neutral colour and won’t clash with any clothing worn by the players and umpires. Cork is used to make the core of the ball while the string is used to wrap the body several times for reinforcement. Leather is then wrapped over both cork and string. This is how the ball is prepared. Interestingly, the leather is either dyed red or white depending on the type of format that is being played. Before Pink color, ball makers had tried optic yellow and bright orange color balls for the day-night games. But in case of the patchy outfield, or less green and more brown outfield, it did not work out that well. Once the stitching of the ball is complete, the seam is often quite raised. Furthermore, the ball is not completely rounded shape.

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Pink balls are better to grip during dew compared to the Red balls. The linen present in the Pink ball seam absorbs the dew and hence helps with a better grip. 6. Coating and its effect

For Red balls, the wax coating is used, but in the case of Pink balls, wax cannot be applied as it would make the ball darker and difficult to spot under floodlights.The Red balls are not suited for night games as under floodlights they turn brownish. White balls are way better in terms of visibility under floodlights. Besides, while watching a match on television sets, the White color ball pops nicely. 3. Durability and Appearance Seam for the White ball is crisper and fully synthetic, whereas the Pink ball seam is a mixture of synthetic and linen. 5. Dew effect and grip Visibility is particularly important in television broadcasts and night matches, where lighting may be an issue. Firing a mixture of balls from a specially-made bowling machine he found the white balls deviated from a straight path much more than the red ones. In a match situation, all balls are fairly uniform irrespective of their colour. There are those specifications relating to weight and circumference which are to be followed and enforced by the match officials.