Cricket’s newest piece of equipment has not been getting support from all quarters, but the BCCI has made sure that the unique pink balls are not given the same treatment as their less-fancy counterparts.
The Kookaburra pink ball, that made its debut in India with the ongoing Duleep Trophy, is being given special care by the administrators. Making news for its prodigious movement that is making it a bit tricky for both batsmen and bowlers to play with, the ball is being kept under extra security to prevent it from theft. The pink balls are kept in a special room, with a security personnel assigned to keep guard on them. A CCTV camera is installed to put them under round-the-clock surveillance.
An SG cricket ball costs around Rs. 1200 as compared to the pink balls, whose value comes close to Rs. 8000 per ball. For the Duleep Trophy, that has a total of four matches amongst three teams, the BCCI has ordered around 240 balls.
A BCCI official was quoted as saying: “These balls are very expensive. That is why we made this arrangement. Besides that, the match referee also audits balls following the day’s proceedings. We have given 12 pink balls each to the teams for their practice sessions”.
Unlike a normal red ball that can be taken back by the players as a keepsake after the match, they would need to submit a special request with the BCCI if they intend to take a pink ball back with them as a souvenir.
SG, the company that generally provides balls for domestic and home Tests, will also supply pink ball samples to the National Cricket Academy. A pink SG ball is expected to cost less as compared to a Kookaburra pink ball.
Also read: Cheteshwar Pujara says he found it tough to play the pink ball in the night
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