A light in the darkness

Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne survive the storm

There are all manner of pinks. There’s the pink associated with Barbie dolls and all things feminine. There’s the provocative pink of the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks; the pink of the ball used in these day night matches; the pink you are in when things are going swell.

And then there’s the picture perfect sunset pink that floods the Adelaide skyline as night descends on the last session of the Test. It’s that image, beloved by television cameras and stills photographers, one that defines this event, and one those tasked with selling the city as a destination to tourists know is worth more than money can buy.

There is no sight like it anywhere else in cricket. A picture postcard for a unique game, but an ominious one for any batsman who finds themselves beneath four blazing lights and surrounded by four shadows of themselves.

You are best advised to never find yourself with a bat in your hand when that happens. And should you have the misfortune to do so, pray that someone like Jasprit Bumrah does not have that similar coloured ball in his.

Nothing good tends to happen after this.