ICC To Trial Pink Balls in Mid-Match Ball Swaps to Combat Bad Light Stoppages

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a trial that will allow match officials to switch from a traditional red ball to a high-visibility pink ball during Test matches when deteriorating light threatens to stop play.

The decision, finalized during an ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad, aims to fix one of cricket's most tedious and long-standing points of frustration. Under the sport's current regulations, on-field umpires halt play using an official light meter if they determine that the playing conditions have become "dangerous or unreasonable." This frequently leads to early finishes and lost overs, even at modern stadiums equipped with powerful floodlights, because the dark red ball becomes incredibly difficult for batters and fielders to track under artificial illumination.

By contrast, pink balls are specifically engineered to offer balanced visibility during the twilight transition from natural daylight to floodlights. While they have been used exclusively for day-night Test matches since 2015, they have never been interchangeable with a red ball mid-innings before.

The implementation of the new protocol will require the prior agreement of both competing teams before a Test begins. Furthermore, the ICC has clarified that the logistics are still being ironed out, meaning that the rule will not take effect in time for the upcoming series between England and New Zealand, which starts at Lord’s on Thursday.

To support the trial, the governing body is co-funding research and development projects alongside the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to analyze lighting technology for venues and match officials.

The issue reached a boiling point in 2024 when bad light wiped out more than half of the opening day during England's third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval. The stoppage drew fierce criticism from fans and pundits alike, including former England captain Michael Vaughan.

"You go to a pink ball and carry on," Vaughan argued at the time. "Teams will have to accept they get unlucky. All these ideas, you're not going to appease everyone. I just want to see them carry on."

The ball-swapping trial was just one of several major updates to playing conditions that have been approved by the board. In a significant shift that mirrors franchise T20 leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL), the ICC will now allow head coaches or designated staff members to walk onto the field during scheduled drinks breaks to hold tactical consultations with their players during One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 Internationals (T20Is). Previously, tactical instructions during international matches could only be relayed by substitute players running drinks out to the middle.

The governing body also tightened T20I timings, mandating a strict 15-minute break between innings and requiring batters to be completely ready the moment play resumes.

Additionally, following recent trials to give bowlers more leeway down the leg side, the ICC has voted to permanently adopt the use of guide lines to assist umpires in judging wides, particularly when a batter is moving around the crease. Umpires will also get an analytical boost when assessing suspect or illegal bowling actions, gaining direct access to Hawk-Eye tracking data to help them determine whether a bowler should be formally reported.

Beyond the boundary rope, the ICC Board addressed the rapidly shifting landscape of world cricket, expressing explicit concern over the "growing expanse of franchise cricket." To protect the traditional game, a new committee will be formed with the specific goal of harmonizing the congested international calendar alongside the explosion of global domestic leagues.