The Pink Ball Test was introduced in Test Cricket to add spice to the contest and give the bowlers some sort of advantage in the sport that is largely tilted toward the batters. Played under lights, the bowlers get decent assistance when the pitch does something, and the wicket-taking deliveries are more frequent than in a red-ball game.
So we will see which bowlers have taken advantage of the pink ball and scalped the most wickets in a day-night Test match.
Most Wickets in Pink Ball Tests
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Average | Best Figures (Innings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 25 | 74 | 18.14 | 6/48 |
| Nathan Lyon (AUS) | 22 | 43 | 25.62 | 5/69 |
| Pat Cummins (AUS) | 16 | 41 | 17.60 | 6/23 |
| Josh Hazlewood (AUS) | 15 | 37 | 18.86 | 6/70 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | 10 | 24 | 16.25 | 5/43 |
| Stuart Broad (ENG) | 12 | 23 | 26.26 | 4/49 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 8 | 19 | 15.89 | 4/48 |
| Yasir Shah (PAK) | 7 | 18 | 46.44 | 6/184 |
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 8 | 17 | 29.47 | 5/69 |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 4 | 16 | 12.50 | 6/32 |
Key Stats
Out of 214 players to have day-night Tests, 93 of them have taken at least a wicket, and only 23 have taken a tally of 10 or more Test wickets with the pink ball.
1: Only one bowler has taken 50 or more Test wickets with the pink ball, and that is Australia’s Mitchell Starc. The left-arm pacer, along with his teammate Nathan Lyon, has played the most day-night Tests among any cricketers.
22: The number of bowlers to have taken at least a single Test fifer in Pink Ball games, and expectedly, Starc leads the way with three five-wicket hauls in such matches.
5: Apart from Starc, only four others, namely Josh Hazlewood, Axar Patel, Trent Boult, and Yasir Shah, have picked multiple Test fifers with Pink Ball. These bowlers have claimed five-wicket hauls twice each. Find out the overall leaders of 5-wicket haul pickers in Tests.
3: Only three bowlers have taken a ten-wicket match haul in Pink Ball Tests. Axar Patel, Devendra Bishoo, and James Anderson are the trio to snap a ten-fer in a day-night Test match.
Axar Patel’s 11/70 at Ahmedabad against England in 2021 is the best match figure in a Pink Ball Test, while Bishoo’s 8/49 remains the best innings return in a day-night game.
