Bad light in SA vs AUS: Detailing South Africa's reluctance to host another day-night or pink-ball Test at home since 2017

Bad light in SA vs AUS: Detailing South Africa's reluctance to host another day-night or pink-ball Test at home since 2017 originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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South Africa's players resisted a day-night Test against Australia in 2016, and the Proteas have hosted only one pink-ball Test at home, against Zimbabwe in 2017.

Shaun Pollock wants the pink ball used in daytime Tests, while Ashwell Prince believes getting both captains to agree will be very difficult.

Durban's fading light is eating into the opening South Africa vs Australia Test

Australia closed day three of the Durban Test with a 139-run lead, yet the toughest opponent for both sides has been the sky. ESPN reports that around 45 overs have been lost, with cloud and haze bringing dusk forward each day. The match has become a race against the light. On day one, poor light ended play 96 minutes early with Australia on 187/6.

The incident happened even though the floodlights had been on for close to an hour, other sources reported. Matt Renshaw called it pretty dark, noting the LED sightscreen glowed far brighter than the sheeting around it.

Scheduling made such an outcome likely. Both sides share a home summer, and Australia tours India in January, so the series was squeezed into October. Former Protea Daryll Cullinan warned of wet and low-scoring contests, and Durban's 6pm sunset has hurt in a different way.

Play starts at 9:30am to beat the dusk, and an extra half hour moves stumps to 5:30pm, leaving 30 minutes to spare. The same report warns that at least 30 fewer overs could remain than the official tally. The ICC allows a pink ball, yet it was never realistic here.

South Africa's long-standing doubts over the pink ball

South Africa's hesitation is not new. In April 2016, Sky Sports reported that Cricket Australia wanted a day-night Test in that year's series, and Tony Irish, the Proteas players' association chief, said the squad felt "disadvantaged" because none of them had played any cricket with a pink ball.

Irish called the reluctance a sign of how much the players valued the series. Players on both sides had found the ball difficult to see at times in Adelaide's 2015 day-night Test against New Zealand.

South Africa played there in November 2016, losing by seven wickets in a dead rubber. At home, the Proteas have staged exactly one pink-ball Test. It came on Boxing Day 2017 against Zimbabwe at St George's Park, Gqeberha, a four-day fixture and Zimbabwe's first under lights.

Of the 29 pink-ball Tests played by June 2026, Australia hosted 18, and South Africa hosted one. South Africa declared on 309/9 and Zimbabwe were 30/4 after the first floodlit session.

Morne Morkel's 5/21 helped dismiss them for 68 on day two, and after following on, Keshav Maharaj's 5/59 ended their second innings on 121, sealing an innings-and-120-run win inside two days.

What South Africa's legends have said about the pink ball

Shaun Pollock, who sits on the ICC Cricket Committee behind the pink-ball option, wants it used in daytime Tests. Sportstar quotes him as arguing that the pink ball would have meant 45 more overs, and that Australia's recovery from 124/6 to 390 would have been blamed on the ball going soft.

"If Australia were 124-6 and got to 390 [as they did in their first innings], everyone in South Africa would have said it was the pink ball's fault, that it got soft.

"The pink ball would have meant we played 45 more overs of Test cricket and that is why I am keen to introduce it, and not just for day-night games."

Batting coach Ashwell Prince takes a different view. Some nations have played far more pink-ball cricket, he said, so persuading both captains will be very difficult, and outside of day-night games, the ball should stay red. Pollock's counter was blunt, urging teams not to be scared of the pink ball.

Why South Africa's hesitation is harder to defend now

The 2016 objection was a lack of experience, yet it has become self-fulfilling. South Africa has hosted one pink-ball Test since, so the gap in experience has barely narrowed. With 45 overs gone and a WTC win worth 12 points against four for a draw, lost time carries a real cost.

Pollock's argument has limits. The Zimbabwe mismatch revealed little about the pink ball against South Africa's attack, and the rule bars mid-match switches between red and pink balls, so any decision must be made before the toss, when captains cannot be sure of the weather.

Until both sides trust the ball, Durban-style evenings will keep costing overs.

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