England, India not happy as Dukes balls go soft and out of shape early

The normally reliable Dukes ball has come under fire in the ongoing five-match Test series between England and India. Apart from the ball going soft relatively quickly after 30 odd overs or so, making it almost ineffective on placid pitches, both India and England have complained about it going out of shape.

In the opening Test at Headingley, India made several requests for the ball to be changed from the 14th over over its shape, but the umpires resisted as it passed through the gauge, which saw vice-captain Rishabh Pant react angrily. The umpires finally relented in the 28th over that saw spinner Ravindra Jadeja celebrate like he’d taken a wicket.   

England were at the complaining end in the second Test at Edgbaston, requesting a ball change, again because of the shape. Four of their requests were turned down as it passed through the gauge, but England could not be denied a fifth time in the 56th over. 

Whether it’s the flat pitches or the constant bashing from the batters or the brutal English summer that have made the wickets and outfield more abrasive, contributing to Dukes balls — once considered the gold standard for Test cricket — going soft and out of shape prematurely is still being debated. But Pant and England skipper Stokes are clearly not happy with the former, calling the situation ‘irritating’.

“Definitely, I feel it's a big problem because the ball is getting out of shape,” said Pant at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “But at the same time, it's not up to us. Because when you see the ball, you can see it's in good shape. But the rings (gauge) are like that. And unless someone changes it, it's not up to the players. I think the ring can be the same for both the balls (Kookaburra and Dukes). It's definitely irritating for the players because every ball plays differently. Because when it becomes softer, sometimes it's not doing too much. But as soon as the ball is changed, it's starts to do enough. As a batsman, you've got to keep on adjusting to it. But at the same time, I feel it's not good for cricket anyway.”

Stokes reckoned using a different gauge for the Dukes ball. “Look, I think we're not the only ones complaining about the ball. Whenever we have touring teams come here, there is an issue around the balls going soft, going completely out of shape. I don't even think the rings that we use are Dukes rings. It's something that isn't ideal, but you've got to deal with it.

“Obviously, if you feel like the ball has gone out of shape, you've got to check it all the time. And if it goes through the rings, it goes through the rings, and you crack on, and then hopefully eventually you get that badly out of shape. Everyone, the bowling team seems to struggle with it. It seems to be an issue. If it fits through, we keep going; if it doesn’t, we get used to it.”