The Dukes ball has recently come under scrutiny in two separate Test series held in different parts of the world, prompting the ball’s manufacturer to suggest that the ICC should consider introducing a second new ball after 60 overs instead of the current 80-over mark.
The ongoing India-England series has produced plenty of action and high-scoring encounters. India managed to out-think England in the second Test, securing a memorable victory. Despite the result, India captain Shubman Gill voiced his frustration with the Dukes ball after the game, saying: “Even more than the pitch, the ball is going soft and going out of shape very quickly. If you know there are only 20 overs of any help, and then you have to spend the rest of the day on the defensive, thinking only about how to stop the runs, then the game loses its essence.”
Dukes manufacturer: Criticising the ball has become fashionable
Dilip Jajodia, the owner of the Dukes factory in England, defended the ball in an exclusive chat with Mumbai Mirror, saying, “It has become fashionable to criticise the ball. Bowlers and captains have made it a habit to try and put pressure on the umpires when they’re not able to take wickets.”
Frequent ball change requests have been a common theme in the series, with Rishabh Pant being sanctioned by the ICC as he reacted angrily after the team’s request for a ball change was denied by the umpires at Leeds. On day five of the game, the first request for a ball change from India came in the 14th over, following which several such appeals were made. The umpires finally relented in the 28th over, leading to a jubilant Ravindra Jadeja to celebrate the moment with the umpire.
In the second Test, England found themselves complaining to the umpires about the condition of the ball from the 16th over. After four unsuccessful requests, the ball was changed in the 56th over, with the officials deeming it “unfit for play”, of which there is no definite definition.
During the West Indies-Australia Test series, too, Josh Hazlewood has complained that he has never bowled with a softer 70-over-old ball. Test matches in England, Ireland and the West Indies are played with the Dukes, a ball that has a reputation for assisting the seamers.
Back in 2018, Virat Kohli had advocated for the Dukes balls to be used for all Tests across the world. ““The Dukes, I think, is the most suited ball for Test match cricket,” Kohli said, “and if there’s a situation, I would vouch for that to be used all over the world because of the consistency of the ball and how the bowlers are in the game at any stage because the seam is so hard and upright.”
The England-India series, however, has been played on flat wickets thus far, with India piling on more than 1,000 runs in the second game. Jajodia says the flat pitches being produced are causing the balls to lose shape: “With bats and players as powerful as they are, they are battering the ball with such force that it hits the stands with such ferocity, it sometimes goes out of shape. In such cases, the umpire has a gauge provided by the ICC to check the shape.
“Nobody talks about the flatness of the wicket or the form and skill of the bowlers,” he says. “The Dukes ball is known to be bowler-friendly, and now that five or six centuries are being scored in an innings, everyone is blaming the ball. If anything goes wrong, it’s either the pitch or the ball - never the players. When players get ducks, it’s the pitch. When bowlers don’t get wickets, it’s the ball.”
Dukes manufacturer: ICC should change the ball between 60-70 overs
Currently, Test teams can request for a second new ball after 80 overs, but Jajodia feels the rules should be changed. “Maybe the game’s authorities should consider allowing the new ball to be taken somewhere between the 60th and 70th over, instead of the current 80th-over rule. They somehow expect the ball to stay hard until the 79.5th over, which, I’m afraid, it is not possible.”
He also explained the lengthy procedure of ball-making, saying the natural ingredients used [cowhide] means that no two balls can remain identical. “No two cowhides are the same. So, there’s a bit of nature involved, he says. “The ball is not a machine-made product where every unit is identical. The ball is supposed to deteriorate; it’s not a rock. As far as we, the manufacturers, are concerned, the ball is not being made to fail. We have not lowered our standards or changed our processes.”
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