“Steve is going for the pink ball – and for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green.”

Snooker commentator, the late great Ted Lowe, gives voice to one of the most famous ‘Colemanballs’ ever recorded, but at the time he was probably one of very few men who could have committed such an historic gaffe.

As far as I know (no doubt someone will correct me) snooker is about the only game to have employed pink balls for donkey’s years – in other sports they are a more modern adaptation or affectation.

But pink balls are becoming more prevalent in a whole number of sports these days.

The first time I noticed this creeping invasion was towards the end of my days playing hockey.

When I started out the ball was traditionally white, but with the advent of astroturf pitches there were a rash of yellow, orange and pink balls produced – I can only assume on the basis that they are easier for the eye to pick up.

I also remember the evolution of pink tennis balls, though whether these have ever been used in top level competition I am not so sure.

In more recent years the arrival of the ‘pink’ football in the professional game has proved somewhat controversial.

Notably back in January 2014 the ‘pink’ FA Cup ball attracted criticism from TV viewers watching Arsenal’s third round clash with Tottenham.

The Nike Incyte match ball

Manufacturers Nike said their Incyte ball was ‘mango’ coloured, however some viewers were confused believing it to be a ball used when snow is on the ground, and others complained that it definitely looked more pink than mango.

On Friday the pink ball will make its debut in Test cricket as the third match of the series between Australia and New Zealand is played under floodlights at the Adelaide Oval.

It is not the first time the pink ball has been used as it has made trial appearances in limited overs matches, but there are genuine concerns that it could change the tactics and the very nature of Test cricket.

In some quarters it is felt that the pink ball’s capacity to swing freely may lead to collapses under the floodlights and could mean that the final session of the day’s play will become more crucial than the first two.

However, here at the Examiner we have someone with first hand experience of just what the pink ball can do.

Sports editor Mel Booth was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Victoria’s meeting with Queensland last month and, while impressed by the visibility of the ball for spectators under the floodlights, he countered that with the observation it seemed to be almost in shreds by the end of the innings and questioned how it would hold up in the Test arena.

Coincidently, while Mel was away in Australia, a Huddersfield mum found a live cricket in a bag of baby leaf salad bought from a supermarket in Waterloo.

Louise Flint and the bag of salad (complete with cricket) she bought from Aldi
Louise Flint and the bag of salad (complete with cricket) she bought from Aldi

It was commented in the office when the story broke that it was a shame our glorious leader had spent his money on travelling to the other side of the world when he could have seen live cricket virtually on his doorstep.

While we are on the subject of cricket, I have to ask, when will England’s selectors stop mucking our spin bowlers about?

Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid is the latest in what is becoming a long line of spinners to have been tried and then rejected.

Graeme Swann arguably is the last slow bowler to have earned a regular call-up to the national side, and it took him a fair while to reach that status.

Monty Panesar also had a reasonable run, but you never felt that his presence in the England squad was ever much safer than precarious.

The likes of Rashid, Lancashire lads Simon Kerrigan and Chris Schofield, Durham’s Scott Borthwick and, going back a bit, even Ian Salisbury, who played for Sussex, Surrey and Warwickshire, never stayed in favour for very long.

One of the excuses seems to be that none of them have enough experience to play at Test level.

Adil Rashid

However, while the selectors are happy to prefer the option of a batman who can bowl spin like Moeen Ali and Joe Root, then a full-time spinner is never going to gain that necessary Test experience because he won’t be in the team for long enough.

It is about time Andrew Strauss and his cronies plumped on one particular talent and gave him a genuine chance to learn his trade as a Test cricketer.

All the selectors need to have are some, erm ... what’s the theme of this column?