London, July 18: 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. As the series heads into its decisive stages, the ball controversy has added an unexpected subplot to an already fiercely contested battle between two cricketing giants. With the integrity of the Dukes ball now under the scanner, and both teams grappling with unpredictable conditions mid-game, the issue goes beyond just equipment — it strikes at the heart of fairness and consistency in Test cricket. As the ECB and the manufacturers begin their review, the cricketing world will keenly watch whether tradition will bend to reform or whether the red cherry’s legacy will need a polish to match the demands of the modern game.
The ongoing scrutiny has also reignited the larger conversation around standardisation of playing conditions in Test cricket. With three different balls used across major Test-playing nations — Dukes in England, SG in India, and Kookaburra in Australia — players are constantly required to adapt their skills to suit the ball in play. While variety adds nuance to the format, repeated quality concerns like the ones seen in this series raise questions about whether it’s time for a more unified approach, or at the very least, stricter quality control. (PTI)
