Latest news with #Kookaburra
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
IND vs ENG: ‘If we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will': Dukes ball owner on Dukes ball being reviewed
While the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has seen its ups and downs with India now trailing the series 1-2 against England, the sees had also seen the regular change of Dukes balls, the balls used for the five Test match series in England. In the three Tests so far, the ball has been changed well before the stipulated 80 overs with England's first innings at Lord's seeing five ball changes due to going out of shape with one ball being switched after only 10.2 overs on the second day of the Test. In a latest development as reported by BCC, England and Wales Cricket Board will collect as many used Duke balls as possible and return them to the ball manufacturer by the end of this week to review the cause behind the issue. It was confirmed by Dilip Jajodia, owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, the manufacturer of Duke balls, to the BBC and the owner also shared that everything will be reviewed in the manufacturing process. 'We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials – everything. Everything we do will be reviewed and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will,' Jajodia told BBC Sport. With India using the SG Balls and Australia using the Kookaburra balls, England has seen the usage of Dukes ball, which have benefited in production since 1760. Recent years have seen the Dukes ball going soft prematurely before the 80-over mark in Test cricket with the most recent incidents coming during the Lord's Test. After England won the toss and decided to bat first, the first innings saw the ball being changed five times with one ball being changed after 10.2 overs. It also saw an agitated Indian skipper Shubman Gill arguing with the on-field umpires and later some of the former cricket players too shared their views on the regular ball change slowing the game. Former England bowler Stuart Broad had called out the problem with the Dukes ball. 'The cricket ball should be like a fine wicketkeeper – barely noticed. We are having to talk about the ball too much because it is such an issue and is being changed virtually every innings. Unacceptable. It has been like this for five years now. Dukes have a problem. They need to fix it.' Broad had posted on X. Jajodia, who had bought British Cricket Balls Ltd from Grey-Nicolls in 1987, talked about the challenges being faced in manufacturing the Dukes ball. One is the raw materials which are natural and then have to be moulded and put together by a human being. Obviously the major aspect of a cricket ball is the leather that holds the whole thing together, and if the fibres that form the animal skin have got some sort of weakness or inherent problem that's something we can only find if it fails by further inspection and investigation. Covid did have a very serious effect on all sorts of businesses. In the whole process of tanning leather I would expect changes in personnel, whether either they passed away or decided that it was all too difficult. There is literally almost one tanner left that does cricket ball leather so there's not a choice. You have to work with the tannery to make sure that they produce what you want and by and large they do,' said the owner. Post the Lord's Test, former England skipper Joe Root also had shown his discontent over constant ball changes and blamed the issue for slowing the game. 'I personally think that if you want to keep getting the ball changed then each team gets three challenges every 80 overs and that's it. But the rings have to be the right size, not too big. That would be a nice way of compromising and saying it is not all on the manufacturer. Sometimes these things happen, but you cannot just keep asking and wasting time and slowing the game down at the same time,'Root had told Widen. With ECB now keen on getting to the cause of the issue and pushing for the resolvement of the ball going soft prematurely, Jajodia also talked about the need to be patient while the issues are found with the consultations with the ECB 'The unique nature of cricket is that you can't test that ball before it goes into play so therefore, if it fails, it fails in use and at the very highest level it's in the glare of publicity. All we can do to check everything as thoroughly as we can during the whole process of making the ball. At the end of the day, we've had three Test matches, they've all been good games. They've been interesting games. We should be very cautious and not be looking for drastic and dramatic changes. This is a product that's been going since 1760. There is no snap answer, all you can do is to go through the routine of everything that you do and try and identify,' said Jajodia.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
'Soft' Dukes ball under review, says manufacturer after player complaints
In the eye of a storm, the manufacturer of the Dukes ball on Friday said it will conduct a thorough review following widespread criticism of the "soft" balls used in the first three Tests between India and England, according to a report in the BBC. The on-field umpires have regularly changed the balls in the ongoing five-match series as they were unable to retain hardness and were going out of shape quickly, particularly post 30 overs. The whole process has caused delays to the match proceedings. Following criticism by India captain Shubman Gill and former English pacer Stuart Broad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will collect as many used balls as possible and return them to the company that produces Dukes balls by the end of the week. "We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials - everything," Dilip Jajodia, owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, who make the Dukes, told BBC Sport. "Everything we do will be reviewed and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will." The ball used for Test series is decided by the host board. The Dukes is used in England, Test matches in India are played with the SG ball, while teams use the Kookaburra in Australia. The Dukes ball, which has been in production since 1760, has faced some issues in Test and County cricket in recent years. During the Lord's Test, Gill was upset with the ball they were given by the umpires after the second new ball had to be changed in the first hour of the second morning. While Jasprit Bumrah had taken three quick wickets with the original ball, the Indian bowlers failed to make a single breakthrough in the rest of the first session after the red cherry was changed. Broad, a fierce critic of the Dukes ball in recent years, also expressed his displeasure with the replacement ball. England lead the five-match series 2-1 after victories in London and Leeds, while India won in Edgbaston.
News18
6 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Soft Dukes ball to be examined, says manufacturer after complaints
London, Jul 18 (PTI) In the eye of a storm, the manufacturer of the Dukes ball on Friday said it will conduct a thorough review following widespread criticism of the 'soft" balls used in the first three Tests between India and England, according to a report in the BBC. The on-field umpires have regularly changed the balls in the ongoing five-match series as they were unable to retain hardness and were going out of shape quickly, particularly post 30 overs. The whole process has caused delays to the match proceedings. Following criticism by India captain Shubman Gill and former English pacer Stuart Broad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will collect as many used balls as possible and return them to the company that produces Dukes balls by the end of the week. 'We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials – everything," Dilip Jajodia, owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, who make the Dukes, told BBC Sport. 'Everything we do will be reviewed and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will." The ball used for Test series is decided by the host board. The Dukes is used in England, Test matches in India are played with the SG ball, while teams use the Kookaburra in Australia. The Dukes ball, which has been in production since 1760, has faced some issues in Test and County cricket in recent years. During the Lord's Test, Gill was upset with the ball they were given by the umpires after the second new ball had to be changed in the first hour of the second morning. While Jasprit Bumrah had taken three quick wickets with the original ball, the Indian bowlers failed to make a single breakthrough in the rest of the first session after the red cherry was changed. Broad, a fierce critic of the Dukes ball in recent years, also expressed his displeasure with the replacement ball. England lead the five-match series 2-1 after victories in London and Leeds, while India won in Edgbaston. PTI AH AH UNG view comments First Published: July 18, 2025, 17:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
ENG vs IND: Manufacturer to review Dukes ball after rising quality concerns
The manufacturer of the Duke's ball has confirmed that they will be conducting a thorough review of the match balls used during the first three Tests between England and India. The announcement follows widespread criticism over the ball's quality, with concerns raised about its inability to retain hardness and aid the bowlers across long Test captain, Shubman Gill, voiced his frustration after the Edgbaston Test, suggesting that the Dukes ball had gone soft far too quickly, tilting the contest in favour of the batters. His comments echoed what several players and pundits had noted throughout the series — the ball simply wasn't doing what it traditionally does in English England fast bowler Stuart Broad also joined in, expressing concern about the quality drop in a product that has historically been known for maintaining shape and providing sustained movement. Broad called for immediate corrective steps, saying the integrity of the contest was being affected. Responding to the criticism, Dilip Jajodia, owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd — the company responsible for manufacturing Dukes — told BBC Sport that the company would leave no stone unturned in its investigation. He said that every element, from the leather to the tanning process and other raw materials, would be looked into.'We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials — everything. Everything we do will be reviewed, and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will,' said choice of ball in Test cricket usually lies with the host nation. India uses the SG ball, Australia uses the Kookaburra, while England prefers the Dukes, which is renowned for offering prolonged movement in seam-friendly conditions. However, in this series, that defining trait seemed to be has been speculation around whether the changes in the ball are intentional to suit a more batting-friendly approach or if it's purely a manufacturing lapse. Regardless, the debate has gained traction as teams and experts seek the ball-related concerns, all three Tests have produced results, keeping the series finely balanced. Whether any adjustments will be made in time for the fourth Test remains unclear, but the scrutiny around the Dukes ball is unlikely to go away anytime soon.- EndsMust Watch
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Alastair Cook on Dukes balls debate says bowlers are ‘moaning' and batters too prefer better balls: ‘Nothing worse than playing a lovely cover drive…'
One of the talking points of the ongoing India vs England Test series has been about Dukes balls. Compared to different balls that are used across the world for Test cricket, there was a time when it was the Dukes ball that bowlers loved the most. While Kookaburra and SG balls used in Australia and India would lose their seam quicker than the Dukes ball, which hampered the bowlers from extracting swing and seam movement for longer. However, all this was a thing of the past in recent years, but that has not been the case. The Dukes balls have not been swinging as long as they used to, and more importantly, they are getting out of shape, due to which balls have to be changed regularly. While Shubman Gill pointed out the issue after the Edgbaston Test. During the Lord's Test, matters only got worse as the ball was under a microscopic lens and had to be changed multiple times, and was also inspected on numerous occasions by the umpires to see if it was in the right shape. Former England skipper Alastair Cook, though, saw things differently and took a jibe at the bowlers and said they are always moaning. 'I just love how bowlers are always moaning. It's like they bowl a bad ball and it's never their fault. They've scraped the footmark… If they bowl a bad ball, they look at the ball and blame the shape,' Cook said on BBC Sport. 'I think a batsman would much rather hit some slightly harder ball. Nothing worse than playing a lovely cover drive like I used to, and it going nowhere,' he added. Despite the various perceptions on balls, Dukes ball owner Dilip Jagjodia was adamant that they stick to British standards, speaking to The Indian Express earlier. 'If I made a really hard ball, it would have broken bats. That's the problem; we have to be careful. If people are adventurous players, they might be tempted to do it. That would be disastrous. The laws of the game are that the ball has to deteriorate over 80 overs. So the ball has to play 80 overs, and it gradually gets worse. You can't suddenly come after 20 overs and say, This ball is not doing what I want or what it does. If there is something genuinely wrong, then it has the option to change it,' he said.
