Australia pacer Mitchell Starc, on Tuesday, welcomed the prospect of an India vs Australia day-night Test match with the pink ball. Although not a big fans of the pink ball himself, Starc said he would love to bowl with it against India. Starc’s comments of a possible India vs Australia pink-ball Test as both countries draw closer to making a decision on going ahead with the four-Test series, which is set to be held later this year but has come under serious threat with the coronavirus pandemic. Both India and Australia are, however, confident of going ahead as per the schedule and have also discussed the possibility of extending the four-match Test series into a five-Test series. India Tour of Australia 2020–21 Likely to Go Ahead As per Schedule: Report.

“I think absolutely a pink ball test in this series against India is a great thing,” the Australia paceman said in a video uploaded on cric.com.au’s website. India had declined to play in a day-night Test series the last time they toured Australia in 2018. But having made their pink-ball debut against Bangladesh earlier this year, India cricket board president Sourav Ganguly had assured that India will play at least one day-night Test when they next tour Australia. Pat Cummins Fires Warning to Virat Kohli-led Team India Ahead of India vs Australia 2020, Says ‘We’ll Be Ready for Them This Time’.

“The fans love it, it creates a different aspect of the contest. I think bat and ball are a lot closer together. India have obviously played a pink-ball Test at home so they’re not completely foreign to it,” he added while talking about day-night Test against India. “I guess in terms of the advantage if you like, we do have a good record at home with the pink ball. It’s no different to us going to India and they’ve got the advantage there.”

Australia have won all of the seven Test matches they have played with the pink ball with Starc among the chief wicket-takers for them in day-night Test matches. The 30-year-old has taken 42 wickets with the pink ball at an average of 19.23. But despite his success with the pink ball, Starc has always been worried about it encroaching traditional Test cricket with the red ball.

The Australia quick also spoke about the International Cricket Council’s recommendation to ban the use of saliva to shine the ball when cricket resumes post the COVID-19 halt. “Kids aren’t going to want to be bowlers because as we saw in Australia over the last couple of years, there were some pretty flat wickets and if that ball’s going straight, it’s a pretty boring contest,” he said. Bowlers should be given other options to shine the ball to make matches a contest.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2020 12:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).