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Ahead of the first Test against New Zealand away from home this week, England pacer Ollie Robinson said that the pink-ball tests are not needed and a "bit gimmicky".
England is aiming to end their losing streak in day/night Test matches against New Zealand. Both teams arrived in the coastal city of Mount Maunganui and were greeted by heavy wind and rain brought by Cyclone Gabrielle. Players are preparing at the Bay Oval, which is set to take place as it was originally scheduled on Wednesday. The match will be played with a pink ball. With these poor weather conditions, practice sessions over the next three days could get scrapped if facilities are damaged and that means, less time for bowlers to get to grips with the pink ball. England won their first-ever Pink-ball Test against West Indies at Edgbaston back in 2015, but lost their next five, all in overseas conditions. "Traditional Test cricket, there is nothing wrong with it to start with. I do not think we need to play these pink ball games," said Robinson as quoted by Sky Sports. "It is a bit gimmicky. They are trying to get crowds in and change the game a little bit but the way England is playing Test cricket at the moment, I do not think that needs to happen. We could stick to how we are going and we are entertaining people as we are so I am not sure if it's necessary really," added the pacer. The brighter pink ball has been touted for widespread use, primarily as a solution to bad light stoppages. But Robinson is underwhelmed by it. "I am not a massive fan of that ball, no. We have been trying to get them to swing this last week and they are very inconsistent. They are just not a traditional cricket ball," said Robinson. "We have been trying a lot in the last week or so to get the pink ball moving and it has proved pretty challenging. It is not as consistent as the red ball, Dukes or Kookaburra, which swing for a little while and allow you to shine them." "This has a layer of lacquer on it and it is really hard to shine and keep it swinging. It is so hard to set yourself up and set the game." NZ Test squad: Tim Southee (c), Michael Bracewell, Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson and Will Young. England Men's Test squad: Ben Stokes (Durham) Captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire) and Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire). (ANI)
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