Ireland raise white-ball visibility concerns against light coloured seats at Ageas Bowl

Ireland have voiced concerns over the visibility of the white-ball against the backdrop of empty cream-coloured seats at the Ageas Bowl Stadium ahead of their three-match ODI series against England. The three matches, which will take place behind closed doors in a bio-secure bubble, will be played on 30 July, 1 and 4 August respectively. Ireland head coach Graham Ford expressed concern following the team’s intra-squad practice game where the players found it difficult to spot the white ball due to the light colour of the seats in the stadium. [caption id=“attachment_8640191” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Ireland have voiced concerns over the visibility of the white-ball against the backdrop of empty cream-coloured seats at the Ageas Bowl Stadium. AP[/caption] “The thing that’s a little bit of a concern is the background,” Ford told reporter during a virtual press conference on Friday. “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,” he added. The first Test between England and West Indies’ in the ongoing Wisden Cup was also played at the Ageas Bowl earlier this month. However, the red ball did not pose any visibility issue for the players. Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie said it is a tricky situation to be in but hoped a week of practice will help the players get comfortable. “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. “It does take a bit of getting used to, but we’ve got a week of prep and we can make sure that we hone that, and make sure that guys are comfortable and almost getting their eyes in while fielding,” he added.