Bad lights stops play

Cricketers are not tickled pink by the new coloured ball

OBJECTIVES

Cricket administrators have started scheduling long-form matches which finish at night and are played with a pink as opposed to a red ball. However, there are reports that the pink ball may introduce new dangers and alter performance. The aim of this study was to investigate professional cricketers' opinions about the visibility of the pink ball whilst playing in different lighting conditions (afternoon, dusk and night).

DESIGN

Purposeful sampling of a cross-section of elite cricketers with pink ball experiences playing in the United Kingdom.

METHODS

Eighty-eight international or first-class professional cricketers completed a questionnaire consisting of Likert scale and free text responses to questions covering perceptions of the pink ball, with a particular emphasis on visibility.

RESULTS

The pink ball was reported as less visible than the red ball when batting (p<0.001) and fielding (p<0.001). Within the three lighting conditions the pink ball was significantly less visible at dusk under floodlights compared to afternoon and night both when batting and fielding (ps<0.001). Free text comments confirmed that visibility of the pink cricket ball was most challenging at dusk (coverage 0.37), and that players sometimes experienced a blurring sensation with the pink ball leaving a visual 'trail' when viewed under floodlights (coverage 0.24).

CONCLUSIONS

Results advocate that governing bodies should consider the inclusion of a break in play during dusk to enhance player safety and performance. Empirical research is needed to quantify the risks to player safety in different lighting conditions.

Is optimal vision required for the successful execution of an interceptive task?

The importance of optimal visual function in demanding interceptive tasks is far from established. The aim of the study was to determine whether induced myopic blur and hence sub-optimal visual function would give rise to a detrimental effect on performance in the execution of an interceptive task. The batting performance of grade level cricket players was assessed facing a bowling machine whilst wearing contact lenses of four different refractive conditions (plano (nil), +1.00, +2.00 and +3.00D over-refraction), inducing increasing amounts of myopic blur. Performance for each condition was assessed based both on the shot quality against each delivery judged by a qualified cricket coach blind to each condition, along with an evaluation of the quality of ball-bat contact for each delivery. No significant change was found in batting performance with the introduction of +1.00 and +2.00D of induced myopic blur. A +3.00D over-correction was required before any significant decrease in batting performance was detected, demonstrating that batters needed to be essentially legally blind (as simulated through the use of the +3.00D over-refraction) before there was any significant measurable decrement in batting performance. We concluded that optimal visual correction is not necessarily required for optimal performance in a demanding interceptive task, and that the human perceptual-motor system is capable of compensating for marked alterations in input.

Effects of cricket ball colour and illuminance levels on catching behaviour in professional cricketers

In recent years there have been many alterations to equipment and technology in professional cricket, including the introduction of white balls during day-night matches. In the present study simulated slip-catching performance and movement initiation time were examined in professional cricketers when ball colour and illuminance levels differed. Five male professional cricketers (mean age: 27.3 +/- 1.4 years) volunteered to catch a total of 60 cricket balls, 20 (10 red and 10 white) under each of three illuminance levels (571, 1143 and 1714 lux). Balls were projected from a ball machine at 20 m s(-1) (45 mph) over a distance of 8.4 m, to the subject's dominant side. Catching performance was measured using an established catching scale. Movement initiation times for each hand were also calculated for each trial using a motion-analysis system. Data were submitted to separate two-way (ball colour [2] x illuminance level [3]) repeated measures analysis of variance. No significant effects were obtained for ball colour or illuminance levels for either catching performance or movement initiation time. Neither ball colour nor light level (within the range tested) affected slip-catching performance and movement initiation times in professional cricketers. Therefore it was concluded that the changes made to ball colour and light conditions in professional cricket were not detrimental to catching performance.

The physiological basis for the sensation of gloom: quantitative and qualitative aspects

As our ambient lighting is gradually reduced from a high level, subjects use the following words - bright, gloomy, dim and dark. On six subjects the light level at which these decisions are given has been measured. It has been found that the word gloomy is used when the rods begin to take over from the colour-sensitive daylight cones.