Ireland Raises White-Ball Visibility Issues At Empty Stands Ahead Of ODI Series Against England

Mumbai: Ahead of the three-match ODI series against England, Ireland, has raised an issue on the visibility of the ball after struggling to pick up the white ball against the backdrop of empty cream-colored seats in an intra-squad practice match.

ESPNcricinfo quoted the head of Ireland as saying, “The thing that is a bit worrying is the backdrop. The seating is either cream or white, and you’ve got a white ball and an empty stadium, so that background for fielders might be a challenge,”

All three games of the series will be played at the Ageas Bowl, where Ireland and England have been staying since last week. Although the vacant grounds in England’s Test against the West Indies earlier this month did not pose major issues for fielders, Ireland players found it difficult to see the white ball against the lighter seats.

Ireland captain Andy Balbini said he hoped the extra season would prepare his fielders for the challenge.

“It takes a little bit of time to get used to it, but we’ve got a week and we can make sure we do that, and make sure people are comfortable and getting their eyes on it while fielding. It can be tricky: a white ball on cream and white seats will be tricky, but we’ve got enough time to make sure we can’t use that as an excuse,” he said.

The first ODI between England and Ireland will be played at Ageas Bowl in Southampton on July 30, followed by on August 1 and 4 respectively.

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