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The Dukes ball, which has long been used for Test matches in England, has drawn flak during the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. With the conditions in England unusually dry this summer, the bowlers have had to put in the hard yards to claim wickets on the flak decks.
And adding to the woes, in the first two Tests, both teams repeatedly requested for a change of ball, stating that the Dukes ball is getting unusually softer quite soon. While the manufacturers of the Duke ball defended their productIndia’s vice-captain Rishabh Pant admitted that the ‘de-shaping’ of the ball has been quite irritating for the players.
“In this series I have seen the ball getting de-shaped too much, and (something like) that has never happened to me. It’s definitely irritating for the players because every ball plays in a different way,” Pant said on the eve of the third Test at Lord’s. “
When it (the ball) becomes softer, sometimes it’s not doing too much. But as soon as you change the ball, it starts to do enough. So as a batsman, you’ve got to keep adjusting to it. But at the same time, I feel it’s not good for cricket eventually…”
Earlier, India captain Shubman Gill, too, had raised his concerns over the quality of the Dukes ball. On Wednesday, he got the backing of his English counterpart Ben Stokes.
“We’re not the only ones – whenever touring teams come here, there have been issues with the ball going soft and out of shape. I’m not even sure the rings we use are the standard Dukes rings.
It’s not ideal, but you deal with it. If you think the ball is out of shape, you ask the umpire to check it, and if it passes through the ring, you just crack on. If it doesn’t – once it’s sufficiently out of shape – you get a new one. It was definitely an issue at Edgbaston, and it’s something all bowling attacks have had to contend with,” said Stokes.
The umpires check to pick the new ball on day one of the second cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston.
| Photo Credit:
SCOTT HEPPEL/AP
The umpires check to pick the new ball on day one of the second cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston.
| Photo Credit:
SCOTT HEPPEL/AP
At Leeds, Pant was sanctioned by the ICC after he reacted angrily to the umpire’s denying India’s request for a ball change.
In the second Test, it was England’s turn to complain about the shape of the ball. The home made multiple requests for a newer ball on the first day before it was eventually changed after 56 overs.
However, Dilip Jajodia, the maker of the Duke ball, defended his product.
“It (the ball) is a small 156-gramme object, which is being hit with a three-pound piece of wood. It is striking the stands, the wooden seats; it is striking concrete pillars more often than ever in the history of the game. It gets thrown back and they carry on. The ball is deteriorating, and more alarmingly now, because of the conditions of the game,” Jajodia told Sportstar on Tuesday.
