Difficult at dusk? Illuminating the debate on cricket ball visibility
Maule, J. J., Maguire, R., Timmis, M. A., Runswick, O. R., Wilkins, L., Mann, D. L., ... & Allen, P. M. (2024). Difficult at dusk? Illuminating the debate on cricket ball visibility. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 27(6), 408-414.
Models luminance contrast signals for red, white and pink cricket balls against in-ground backgrounds (pitch, grass, sightscreens, crowd, sky) across natural afternoon light, dusk, and floodlights at Lord's. Finds that old red and old pink balls may offer little or no contrast against grass, pitch and crowd, and that pink and white balls of any age can disappear against the sky at dusk — supporting anecdotal reports of pink-ball visibility problems while also identifying conditions where red and white balls are similarly compromised.