Ball Of Contention

It is amazing that so much skill and time goes into the making of a cricket ball. The red ball usually lasts longer than the white one, the prime problem with the latter being its ready susceptibility to discoloration, especially in the subcontinent, where the pitch is often dusty and the outfield, uneven, to go with the serious pounding it usually receives from the belligerent batsmen. Also, white balls are till date meant only for the one-dayers, whether or not played under lights. The International Cricket Council(ICC) should sit with the ball manufacturers to solve the problem of changing balls in almost every alternate one-day innings. The ICC, always in the look-out to eradicate stoppages in the play, can very well make it compulsory to use red balls in day One-day matches, even if the players wear coloured clothes.