Both England and Pakistan have been left frustrated at the weather once more as the gloomy conditions at The Ageas Bowl meant just 40.2 overs could be bowled on day two of the second Test between the sides.

One suggested solution is for teams to switch to using a pink ball when the light becomes too poor to see a red one. The ball would be of a similar age to the replaced red ball, as would be the case if a ball went out of shape, and when the light improved a similarly aged red ball could again be used.

However Anderson, who has claimed figures of 3-48 so far to silence those who had questioned his England future, believes the idea of switching to the pink ball is a non-starter. “I don’t think we can change the colour of the ball when it gets a bit dark, I don’t think that’s a goer really,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s teammate Stuart Broad echoed those thoughts and explained it would tip the balance of the game in favour of the bowling side.

“We’ve seen with the history of the pink ball under lights, it’s been very tricky for the batsmen and would be unfair to the balance of the game,” Broad said. “You could lose five for 10, that’s going too far and complicating the situation. If the players’ safety is in doubt, the officials have to bring them off. If they think it’s safe, you play.”

The pink ball was introduced into Test cricket in 2015 to allow day-night Test matches to take place.