Cricket’s pink ball creates different visibility challenges for players with colour vision deficiency, a new computer modelling study has found. Published in the journal Sports Medicine, the research suggests players with green colour deficiency may struggle to see a pink ball against the pitch, while those with red deficiency may have trouble against crowds or grass.

The study found no single ball works best for everyone in every condition, but concluded the red ball offers more consistent and equitable visibility across players and conditions. The findings echo the experience of former Australia opener Chris Rogers, who has red-green colour deficiency and could not pick up the pink ball in an early day-night match.

The research adds to the debate over the pink ball used in day-night Tests. The researchers said there is no single ball that provides the best visibility for everyone in every situation. While the screen was eventually changed to white in Rogers’ case, he retired soon after.